Stop Campus Hazing Act and Campus Hazing Transparency Report

Date of Hazing Incidents(s): February 2024

Date Reported: March 31, 2025

Dates of Investigation: April 1, 2025 - November 13, 2025

Decision Date: March 6, 2026

Policy Violation(s): 3.2.19 Hazing - Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures

Sanctions:

Disciplinary Probation

• Chi Phi fraternity has been placed on Disciplinary Probation until the end of the Spring 2028 semester.
• During this probationary period, the chapter must demonstrate full compliance with all University policies. Any further violations during this time may result in more severe sanctions, up to and including Suspension or Dismissal of the organization.

Educational Sanctions - Tau Theta Chapter Support Plan

• In coordination with the Chi Phi National Office, the Tau Theta Chapter is required to complete the following support plan to realign with the values of the fraternity:

• Values Workshop: The Chapter will host a workshop during the Spring 2026 term, facilitated by Chi Phi National Office Staff, focusing on the values of Truth, Honor, and Personal Integrity and their applicability in daily life.
• Officer Training: The Chapter’s Alpha (President), Theta (New Member Educator), and Zeta (Ritualist) Officers are required to attend the 2026 Alpha & Theta’s Academy and Three Star Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Regional Conference Attendance: The Chapter is required to have 5-8 recent New Members attend the Spring 2026 New Brother Weekend in Charlotte, NC.
• Highwire Program (Plaid): The Chapter’s active Undergraduate Brothers and New Members must complete the Highwire Program provided by Plaid at the beginning of the Spring 2026 term. Following the online portion, a facilitated discussion must be scheduled with at least 90% attendance of the Active Chapter.
• Recruitment Plan Approval: The Chapter must submit recruitment plans for approval by the Chi Phi National Office.
• Spring 2026 Plan: Due January 15, 2026 (Immediate submission required if not already on file).
• Fall 2026 Plan: Due August 1, 2026.
• Revised New Member Education: The Chapter must adopt the standard two-week New Member Education process. This measure is intended to help the chapter "get back to basics" and prevent prolonged power imbalances between Initiated and New Members. 
  

• Risk Management Workshop: The Chapter must attend a workshop hosted by the Chi Phi National Office and facilitated by the Manager of Health & Safety. Topics will include crisis management planning, National and University policies, and reporting protocols.

Incident Description:

On March 31, 2025, the Office of Student Conduct received an allegation of hazing concerning Chi Phi fraternity. An investigation showed the fraternity had been engaging in activities that are considered hazing.

The finding of responsibility is based on reports substantiating that new members were subjected to the following conditions:

• Alcohol Use: New members were welcome to consume alcohol regardless of their age. In one instance, the use of alcohol interfered with personal responsibilities and resulted in the loss of employment.
• Impossible Tasks & Alcohol Consumption: New members were instructed to bring alcohol and tasked with completing a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle provided contained only 700 pieces, rendering the task impossible. The investigation determined that the activity was not intended to be completed but was designed to facilitate alcohol consumption among the new member class.
• Daily Weather Reports: New members were required to go outside and record a video of themselves providing a weather report, which then had to be submitted to a group chat by a specific time each day. Failure to comply resulted in "strikes" and threats of removal from the fraternity.
• Servitude: New members were required to carry a "rock" at all times. Being found without this item resulted in "strikes" and the requirement to carry a larger rock.

Date of Hazing Incidents(s): Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 

Date Reported: March 24, 2026

Dates of Investigation: March 24, 2026 - August 27, 2026

Decision Date: August 27, 2026

Policy Violation(s): 3.2.13 Alcohol - Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures
3.2.34 Hazing - Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures

Sanctions:

The following sanctions were developed through collaboration among the Office of Student Conduct, Student Activities and Involvement, and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon National Office. The sanctions are intended to address the organizational nature of the violations, strengthen chapter leadership and accountability, and support meaningful improvement within the SAE chapter at CMU.

• Disciplinary Probation through Spring 2028: Provides an extended period of accountability across multiple recruitment, Big/Little, and initiation cycles and places the chapter on notice that additional violations may result in more significant consequences.
• Four Members Attend SAE Leadership School in January 2027: Develops chapter leaders who can strengthen organizational decision-making, risk management, and expectations for member conduct.
• Hazing Prevention Guest Speaker by October 15, 2026: Reinforces what constitutes hazing and addresses misconceptions that an activity is permissible because it is voluntary, traditional, or intended to promote brotherhood.
• Bystander Intervention Training by October 15, 2026: Provides members with practical skills to recognize concerning behavior, intervene appropriately, and prevent harmful traditions from continuing.
• Roundtable Discussions (Each member must participate in at least one roundtable discussion each semester through 2027): Creates ongoing opportunities for members to reflect on chapter culture, leadership, organizational values, and safer approaches to building brotherhood.
• Hazing Prevention Discussion Guide by September 30, 2026: Provides structured education focused specifically on identifying and preventing hazing.
• Officer Online Training by May 15, 2026: Ensures chapter officers understand their leadership, risk-management, and organizational responsibilities.
• Ritualist Visit by December 31, 2026: Helps the chapter distinguish legitimate fraternity ritual from locally developed traditions or practices that may conflict with University or fraternity expectations.

Collectively, these sanctions are intended to balance accountability with education and organizational improvement. Through the partnership of CMU and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon National Office, the goal is not only to address the violations that occurred, but also to help the chapter strengthen its culture, leadership, and practices moving forward.

Incident Description:

On March 24, 2026, the Office of Student Conduct received an anonymous report that the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at CMU was hazing its members. The allegation directly mentioned the Big/Little ceremony and an activity that took place in the Laundry room referred to as "The Clank," in which students were drinking a shared alcoholic mixture.

Based on a preponderance of the evidence, the chapter violated the University’s Hazing and Alcohol policies. During a Big/Little activity, new members were driven with shirts covering their heads, required to hold buckets of water, and subjected to hard turns, bumps, and loud music before arriving at an unfamiliar park. During an initiation activity known as “the Clank,” new members were divided into teams, placed in dark laundry rooms, and raced to consume a shared alcoholic mixture. These chapter-organized, membership-related activities created physical and psychological risks and constituted hazing regardless of whether participants considered them voluntary.

Date of Hazing Incidents(s): September 27, 2025

Date Reported: March 30, 2026

Dates of Investigation: March 30, 2026 - September 4, 2026

Decision Date: September 4, 2026

Policy Violation(s): 3.2.13 Alcohol - Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures
3.2.34 Hazing - Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures

Sanctions:

The sanctions were developed collaboratively by the Office of Student Conduct, Student Activities and Involvement, and the Sigma Pi National Office with the goal of addressing the conduct identified through the investigation while helping strengthen and improve the Sigma Pi chapter at CMU.

• Disciplinary Probation through Spring 2028: Provides an extended period of accountability and oversight while allowing the chapter the opportunity to demonstrate meaningful and sustained improvement.
• Hazing, Risk Management, Alcohol, and Event Management Workshop: Provides chapter-wide education directly related to the concerns identified during the investigation. Requiring 90% participation ensures that both active and new members receive consistent expectations and information.
• Back to School Seminar: Requiring four members to attend provides chapter leaders with additional education and resources that can be brought back to the organization.
• Mid-Year Leadership Training: Reinforces leadership development, accountability, and healthy chapter operations during the academic year.
• Engage Spring 2027: Provides additional leadership and organizational-development opportunities for chapter members and supports the chapter's continued improvement.

Collectively, these sanctions are intended to balance accountability with education and organizational development. They provide Sigma Pi with clear expectations, sustained oversight, and multiple opportunities to strengthen leadership, improve chapter practices, and build a healthier and safer fraternity experience at CMU

Incident Description:

On March 30, 2026, Central Michigan University received a report alleging hazing within Sigma Pi Fraternity. The report described conduct allegedly occurring during the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 new-member processes, including transporting new members to the fraternity house after receiving bids; requiring new members to memorize fraternity information while completing wall sits or working in darkened spaces; requiring new members to sort cereal, complete puzzles, and provide weather reports; involving alcohol or other substances during Big/Little activities; and requiring sexually suggestive conduct.

The chapter was found responsible for Hazing because the evidence established that Sigma Pi required or assigned activities specifically to new members as part of the membership process. These activities included completing fraternity quizzes in a darkened basement, performing wall sits in connection with the quizzes, sorting cereal and completing puzzles under reduced-light conditions, and producing assigned weather reports. Although some members described these activities as harmless or voluntary, they were structured activities directed at students because of their new-member status and therefore violated the University’s hazing policy.

The chapter was also found responsible for a Violation of the Alcohol Policy because the evidence established that underage members consumed alcohol at Sigma Pi social events. In at least one instance, an underage member reported that alcohol was supplied or made available at the fraternity house by individuals carrying cases of alcohol and allowing attendees to take drinks. The chapter’s use of wristbands and sober monitors did not prevent alcohol from being made available to underage members.