By: Kiana Madrigal
Caption: Chi Phi fraternity house Credits: Google
What do you think when you hear the word, “fraternity”? Do you think of brotherhood; a special coveted society of young boys trying to find their place in the world together? With the news lately, particularly regarding Cornell University, probably not. At least when the topic of fraternities come up in conversation, most people immediately associate it with parties, drugs, alcohol, and as we have all heard recently, sexual assault.
In October 2024, a twenty-year-old woman met with her friend at Chi Phi, a fraternity at Cornell University. What was originally a night of partying, turned into one of the biggest sexual harassment cases today. According to her lawsuit, members of Chi Phi coerced her into consuming ketamine, marijuana, and high proof alcohol, then sexually assaulted her. Once again according to her report, a message was sent to the fraternity group chat of fifty-seven members, inviting more people to come participate in the assault, in which more men came. On November 8, 2024, she reported the assault to Cornell University Police. Chi Phi and its students were temporarily suspended, but the Cornell disciplinary panel gave the students an opportunity to submit essays which could potentially mitigate the suspension. It was confirmed that two members were expelled, but no criminal charges were filed. Upon the case reopening in September 2026, the attorney for an accused frat member made a statement that the activities that took place that night were consensual and she was fully coherent. The case is still being tried, with more information and details being released.
Another fraternity at a major institution, Penn State University, just got exposed for having an alleged drug-trafficking operation that involved both former and current students and the distribution of cocaine throughout the university. According to BBC, from 2023 to 2024, authorities have charged the fraternity with distributing and selling kilos of cocaine through resources and members of Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses, with some pledges being forced to participate. Twenty-four-year-old Agostino Abbatiello who recently turned himself in for being the main supplier, is charged in the case. Two members of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, Mohammed Huraibi and Thomas Robinson, are charged with being partnered in the cocaine business, making large purchases from Abbatiello. Apps such as Venmo and Snapchat were used as a way of supplying the drugs and conversely, led to their downfall. An unknown informant told the police that a man using the nickname “T-Rob” had been selling and accepting payments for cocaine under his username “Tom-Robinson” from Delta Upsilon fraternity house. The authorities quickly traced the account and raided Robinson’s room at Delta Upsilon. Following the raid, the police found his supplier, Abbatiello, and the drug ring was unraveled. Fourteen people were charged, and Delta Upsilon is facing interim suspension.
These cases have become common discussions within homes and schools, but is fraternity misconduct really new? Many articles were written more than a decade ago about the same misconduct in fraternities. An article from 2015 reports the shutdowns and suspensions of 133 fraternity and sorority chapters across fifty-five colleges in America, due to allegations of sexual assault, hazing, and excessive partying, according to Bloomberg.
In some of these cases, people died. In 2014, a student from Rutgers University died due to alcohol poisoning from a fraternity party. The punishment was a ban on Greek parties until the end of the semester. In a more extreme case, Chun “Michael” Deng, a freshman attending Baruch College, died due to head injuries during a pledging activity called “glass ceiling” in 2013. “Glass ceiling” is a ritual where the pledger is blindfolded and forced to wear a thirty-pound backpack with the goal of walking through a line of brothers while being tackled and shoved to the ground. The fraternity was placed on a three-year ban, and some members faced prison sentences for voluntary manslaughter and third-degree murder.
Hearing about these scandals, which are seemingly becoming common incidences within universities, begs the question of what fraternities are really about? The violence surrounding these fraternities outshines what could’ve been something great— a charitable club to form outstanding members of society.
https://cornellseven.com/sources#moonies-response
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39egklv2kwo
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-frat-sorority-offenses
