A former Delta Chi fraternity pledge filed a lawsuit Friday against the national fraternity, the local president and an insurance company after he allegedly was subjected to hazing in April 2002.
Richard Suarez claimed in the lawsuit that after returning from Spring Break he was hazed on “Big Brother Night” by his “Big Brother.”
Suarez claimed he was taken by force to a remote area in a sugarcane field, where he was stripped of his clothing and shoes down to his boxer shorts. His head allegedly was covered with a pillowcase soaked in rubbing alcohol and he was hit, tackled and knocked to the ground, where he was rolled through thorns and over rocks.
During the same time he allegedly was forced to drink rubbing alcohol, which caused him to vomit blood. Suarez claimed the physical abuse continued for an hour and a half.
The lawsuit also claims that on “pledge night,” a week after “Big Brother Night,” Suarez was forced to eat and/or drink large amounts of food or liquor within time limits, resulting in vomiting and mental anxiety. Also on weekly pledge nights, fraternity members allegedly would force pledges to perform push-ups on newspapers soaked in dog urine.
Pledges also allegedly were lined up, blindfolded and screamed at while fraternity members held lighters in their faces, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit named Jared Smith, the president of the campus Delta Chi chapter at the time, Delta Chi Fraternity, Inc. and ABC Insurance Company as defendants.
Delta Chi was removed from campus in December after the Dean of Students’ Office finished an investigation on allegations of hazing.
In January, Dean of Students Kevin Price told The Reveille the University found new members were paddled, yelled at and harassed, expected to perform excessive calisthenics such as push-ups, running and doing other members’ laundry.
Price also told The Reveille new members participated in “Hell Week,” where members did calisthenics, ate unappetizing food and were subjected to sleep deprivation. He also discussed the incident Suarez alleges in his lawsuit but did not release Suarez’s name at that time.
Victor Felts, assistant dean of students and director of Greek Affairs, told The Reveille in January Delta Chi can request to re-establish a fraternity on campus after Jan. 1, 2005.
The news of the lawsuit comes amid news of other Dean of Students’ Office investigations.
The Dean of Students’ Office is investigating Sigma Phi Epsilon after an April 5 incident that hospitalized a high school student.
Other Greek organizations under investigation by the Dean of Students’ Office for possible violations are Lambda Chi Alpha, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Nu, Acacia, Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, Price said. Price would not elaborate on what policies they may have violated.
Three fraternities — Phi Kappa Psi, Pi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Alpha — also are on probation for violating the University’s alcohol policy.