THE INVESTIGATORS: Documents reveal LSU has launched more than a dozen hazing investigations since Dec. 2019
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - LSU officials probed 14 reports of hazing among Greek organizations since December 2019, documents obtained by the 9News Investigators reveal.
The university released documents Friday, March 26, more than four months after receiving a request for information from the 9News Investigators, and just weeks after a university board decided to suspend the campus chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity for alleged hazing and violating campus COVID protocols.
LSU suspends Kappa Sigma fraternity over hazing, COVID-19 protocol violations
Kappa Sigma was investigated three times during the Fall 2020 semester, once in September and twice in October. Both October investigations are still being reviewed.
Campus chapters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Sigma Chi fraternity, and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity are also under active investigations for hazing allegations over the last year.
| Fraternity/Sorority | Case # | Date of Incident | Status of Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Kappa Alpha | 2019379801 | 2/24/2020 | Closed on 04/28/2020 |
| Alpha Tau Omega | 2019290801 | 12/14/2019 | Closed on 03/19/2020 |
| Chi Omega | 2020052201 | 8/24/2020 | Closed on 12/2/2020 |
| Delta Chi | 2019407401 | 2/18/2020 | Closed on 09/24/2020 |
| Delta Chi | 2020102901 | 9/24/2020 | Closed on 11/24/2020 |
| Kappa Sigma | 2020064901 | 9/12/2020 | Closed on 10/05/2020 |
| Kappa Sigma | 2020126001 | 10/6/2020 | Still pending |
| Kappa Sigma | 2020157301 | 10/17/2020 | Still pending |
| Phi Sigma Pi | 2020002601 | 8/6/2020 | Closed on 08/31/2020 |
| Sigma Alpha | 2020070001 | 9/12/2020 | Closed on 09/29/2020 |
| Sigma Alpha Epsilon | 2020104101 | 9/23/2020 | Still pending |
| Sigma Chi | 2019493601 | 2/10/2019, reported on 06/26/2020 | Closed on 11/2/2020 |
| Sigma Chi | 2020009601 | 2/10/2020 | Still pending |
| Phi Kappa Psi | 2020156202 | 10/20/2020 | Still pending |
The Phi Kappa Psi investigation centers on an October incident where campus officials investigated the circumstances behind a student’s hospitalization with severe alcohol poisoning.
The victim reportedly had a 0.451% blood alcohol concentration upon arrival at the hospital, which is nearly six times the legal limit.
East Baton Rouge District Attorney told the 9News Investigators the student’s “oxygen level was down. He was foaming and not able to walk. He had to be put on life-saving measures and his temperature was very low so a lot of things that indicate organ failure was going on.”
Terry Pat Reynolds II was later charged after investigators determined he acted as that student’s “new member educator” on the Pledge Board for the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
In that role, Reynolds allegedly provided the new members with bottles of alcohol and told them they would not be allowed to leave until they finished an entire bottle. Police records say Reynolds also reportedly coerced new members to drink more if they did not finish the previous bottle fast enough.
The university is also undergoing a reckoning after several women who previously attended the school raised concerns about how campus crime is handled.
A third-party investigation into those allegations sparked a federal probe by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
That investigation centers on compliance with the Clery Act, federal rules enacted primarily to protect victims of sexual assault.
Friday university officials also appeared for a second hearing before Louisiana’s Senate Select Committee on Women and Children at the state’s capitol building.
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