Hofstra University has asked police to investigate allegations of "extreme hazing" at a now-defunct campus fraternity after the Long Island college's student-run newspaper published disturbing images from a former pledge.
The college said in a statement that the photos -- which include images of a man locked in a dog cage, blindfolded students kneeling in front of a swastika with their bodies covered in hot sauce and pledges laying on the ground covered in what appears to be flour -- were allegedly taken off campus and show pledges of the Sigma Pi fraternity's Eta-Gamma Chapter in 2014 and 2015. The frat's chapter lost its charter from the national fraternity organization last spring.
"The University condemns the incidents depicted in the photos and reported in the story and has commenced an immediate investigation," the college said in the statement. " In addition, the University has also reached out to the Nassau County Police Department for their support and investigation of any potentially criminal behavior."
The Hofstra Chronicle reported that members of the class were subjected to what one former frat member, who was later expelled for an alleged sexual assault, called "extreme hazing."
The frat member told the student paper the frat forced members to chug milk and vomit one one another, locked a shorter pledge in a cage and forced members to kneel while blindfolded while they were covered in hot sauce.
A former student and member of the fraternity emailed the national Sigma Pi Executive Director to report the hazing along with photos and videos of the depicting the described rituals. The fraternity's Hofstra chapter was revoked the next day, the Chronicle reported.
The university said it investigated Eta-Gamma after the national organization revoked the chapter's charter, but Sigma Pi's Grand Council declined to provide any additional information and members of the fraternity did not raise concerns about new member initiation practices. Hostra didn't see evidence of hazing until the Chronicle's story was published.
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Several students at the university told NBC 4 New York that they were offended by the photos.
