Ole Miss fraternity suspended for 4 years for hazing incident
Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity was suspended from The University of Mississippi on Wednesday until 2025 in connection with a hazing incident involving a bottle of cleaning solution that landed a pledge in the hospital.
"Hazing and related behavior that puts student health and safety at risk are contrary to the University of Mississippi Creed and will not be tolerated," the university said in a statement Wednesday.
The decision follows an investigation that uncovered acts of hazing in an Oct. 11, 2020, incident at the fraternity house. Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity and Ole Miss arrived at the decision together following a joint inquiry, according to the emailed statement from Lisa Stone, director of communications for Ole Miss.
Efforts to reach Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity officials were unsuccessful.
On Wednesday, more than 1,000 people signed a petition asking Ole Miss not to suspend the fraternity.
Parents of students in the Pi Kappa Alpha Gamma Iota chapter said they don't condone hazing and understand there are serious allegations against the chapter. But they want their children to be a part of the fraternity because of the community it provides and the fraternity's philanthropy work.
"We hope that you will reconsider a less severe sanction that does not impact these young men’s entire college experience at Ole Miss," the petition says.
More than half of the current fraternity members are freshmen, parents wrote, and they are being punished for actions of members who are no longer with the fraternity.
Also, the petition says, the alleged infraction "is neither alcohol or violence related, and does not rise to a level warranting these harsh sanctions. They are being sanctioned for the actions of members who are no longer with the fraternity."
According to a police report obtained by the Associated Press, Ole Miss student James Bowes Higgins "grabbed a bottle of bleach or surface cleaner and started spraying it on a few pledges" on Oct. 11, 2020. Higgins later was charged with aggravated assault in the incident and was suspended from Pi Kappa Alpha.
Adam Peavy, a lawyer for the injured student, told AP his client was expecting water to be sprayed into his mouth but began vomiting after instead swallowing a cleaning solution and later went to the hospital to seek treatment.
Pi Kappa Alpha's international office told Newsweek in April they suspended an individual in connection with the alleged incident, adding the victim is still a member of the fraternity's Gamma Iota Chapter at Ole Miss.
"The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity does not tolerate any activities that do not treat individuals with dignity and respect," the international office said in a statement at the time. "Any member of Pi Kappa Alpha should immediately and confidentially report any harmful activity to the International Fraternity here [pikes.org/report]."
The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity's website features an anti-hazing tab, which describes hazing as "illegal" and "unacceptable conduct." The website also provides avenues through which students can report hazing activity.
A student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio recently died following his attendance at a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity event. The fraternity was suspended from the campus in April. A coroner determined that the Ohio student died as a result of "fatal ethanol intoxication during hazing incident" and identified his manner of death as "Accident – college fraternity induction ritual."
Reporter Mina Corpuz can be reached by email at mcorpuz@gannett.com. You can follow her on Twitter @mlcorpuz.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss fraternity suspended for hazing incident involving bleach
