The University of Alabama Police Department arrested four Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members Tuesday on charges of hazing.
“An investigation into hazing violations reported at Pi Kappa Phi is ongoing and led to UAPD serving warrants against several members this week,” Alex House, associate director of media relations for the University, said in an email.
According to court documents, each member was charged with two counts of criminal hazing, which is considered a Class C misdemeanor in Alabama.
The Alabama criminal code defines hazing as any willful action taken which endangers the mental or physical health of any student, or any willful act in striking, beating, bruising, or maiming; or seriously offering, threatening, or attempting to strike, beat, bruise, or maim, or to do or seriously offer, threaten, or attempt to do physical violence to any student of any such educational institution.
A deposition detailing one alleged incident said that video footage from the night of Aug. 25 showed pledges being led into the Pi Kappa Phi Band Room and forced to their hands and knees as part of the fraternity’s “Rules Night.”
The details of offense in the deposition state, “While on their hands and knees, pledges were yelled at, stepped on, pushed, had items thrown at them, and had beer poured at them.”
Another instance described in court documents allegedly occurred Aug. 28, when video from another room showed pledges forced to line up against a wall and perform calisthenics, including wall-sits and pushups, while members yelled at them. Two active members then shoved and struck one of the pledges, and one of the two members then shoved him against a wall, shook him, and shoved him again, making him lose his balance and fall over.
Depositions for each of the alleged incidents states that some of the charges come from a failure to report the alleged hazing, which also constitutes criminal hazing.
“The University of Alabama strictly prohibits hazing and thoroughly investigates allegations, including appropriate coordination with law enforcement and Greek chapter national organizations,” House said.
The UA chapter of Pi Kappa Phi directed a request for comment to Maureen Walker, the chief marketing officer of the Pi Kappa Phi national organization.
“The health and safety of our members is our top priority, and we take these allegations very seriously. We have been working with the University and local law enforcement throughout the investigation into the allegations, and we have initiated individual disciplinary action as a result,” Walker said.
These arrests come about a year after the Alabama chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, along with several of its members, was sued in September 2023 for an alleged hazing incident that gave a pledge a traumatic brain injury. One of the defendants in the lawsuit was arrested on hazing charges earlier this year stemming from the same incident.
“The University recently updated its hazing policy to strengthen accountability and reporting requirements, and information about resolved hazing violation cases is published on the endhazing.sl.ua.edu website,” House said.