By Heart of Illinois ABC
BLOOMINGTON – An Illinois Wesleyan University fraternity has been suspended for three years following an investigation into a hazing incident that injured one student.
According to an IWU spokesperson in mid-April, the student was treated for his injury and he returned to class.
As a result of the investigation, the Sigma Chi chapter was placed on a three-year suspension and loss of recognition, meaning current undergraduate members cannot gather for meetings or activities as a fraternity, including living at the chapter house.
The members cannot display branding that suggests they are still an organization and they are banned from maintaining a social media presence as a fraternity.
Those who planned to live at the chapter house will be reassigned to other housing on campus.
“Through these sanctions, we hope to address a serious safety concern regarding hazing and allow future leaders to re-establish a chapter with values consistent with University and fraternity values. These sanctions should not be seen as a loss of confidence in our campus leadership experiences or our fraternity and sorority community,” a statement from university officials read.
Moving forward, Sigma Chi will be eligible to return to the IWU campus with a rechartered chapter in the 2024-2025 school year. Recruitment and education of new members may occur in spring 2025.
The rechartered chapter will be eligible to return to the chapter house in the fall of 2026, with a live-in advisor at the chapter’s expense. Occupancy requirements must also be met.
Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected].
