USC (South Carolina) Hazing Incident
 

Six members of Phi Beta Sigma accused of attacking another student with bat; fraternity status suspended
Chelsea Hadaway
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: News
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Six USC students were arrested by the Lexington County Sheriff Department on Thursday for hazing charges that left another USC student in the hospital back in October.

Deputies arrested Brandon Bomar on Wednesday and later released him from the Lexington County Detention Center after he posted bond. Six other students turned themselves in on Thursday.

They each posted their $1,000 bond at the hearing Thursday afternoon and were released from the detention center late Thursday night.

They face a maximum punishment of one year in prison and a $500 fine for hazing charges, said Lexington County Sheriff James Metts.

The complainant, USC student Terry Hall, went to Riverbend Apartments near West Columbia on Oct. 9 as part of initiation into the fraternity.

According to the police report, he was blindfolded and hit more than 100 times and beaten with a metal baseball bat. He was taken to Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital.

Since then, the sheriff's department has been working to get information about who to charge in the hazing incident.

"It took a lot of time to get information out of fraternity members about who was present and who was involved in the hazing incident," said John Allard, a deputy with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department.

Phi Beta Sigma was suspended in October after the incident, but after the arrest on Wednesday, the fraternity is suspended from any activity until 2014.

Jerry Brewer, USC director of student life, said the procedure is for the university to contact the regional and national organization to let them decide how to handle the local chapter.

"When we got the official word [Wednesday night], we contacted their regional vice president and shared the info. And then he contacted the national president and the executive director," Brewer said.

The national chapter contacted USC on Thursday morning to let them know of their decision to suspend the fraternity for the next seven years.

"Phi Beta Sigma is a very well-established national organization," Brewer said. "Unfortunately the local members decided not to live up to the standards."

At the university's disciplinary level, the students will go through USC's judicial system to see what sanctions the university will enforce.

"The university sees hazing as a very, very serious matter. We have a zero tolerance policy," university spokesman Russ McKinney said.

Brewer said the university receives about six or seven inquiries about hazing every semester, but this is the first time criminal charges of this magnitude were brought against this many students.

"This is unprecedented at the University of South Carolina," Brewer said.

Representatives from Phi Beta Sigma declined to comment and representatives from Greek Life didn't return phone calls as of press time.



- News writer Carolyn Rumsey contributed to this story

I wondered why it took Lexington County so long to arrest them. And wait until THE WEEK BEFORE FINALS to do it. This happened in October. And I knew they were suspended but I thought it was four, not seven. And I didn't know they allegely beat the guy so bad.

I hope this makes the rest of Greek Life at Carolina wake up (and not just the NPHC, either).

You can say that again!

agreed

No Garth, I just wonder how long it takes for All Greeks to wake up?:mad:

We only hurt ourselves!:rolleyes:

Violent hazing in black fraternities? Who'da thunk it?

p.s. I'm pretty sure that's how they initiate people in inner-city gangs, could be wrong.

I think eventually it'll be a survival issue to root out the hazing. That may already be the case. In the next few years, expect to see a few major nationals closed due to hazing lawsuits.

I know one NIC group, for example, which simply seems to refuse to close chapters regardless of the type of risk reduction violations... this is a major group and I'd expect them to be among the first to go.

Speculate all you want as to who I think that is :)

That is so sad. They would rather jeporadize (sp) the integrity of the entire org rather than dissolving a couple of chapters....that is crazy (at least to me).

Get this -- a chapter *was not shut down* after the university yanked their recognition when the greek life advisor walked in on a charity fundraiser where this group, in their house was serving all you can drink beer for $3.00. Said beer was being served by a 14 year old girl. The chapter's GPA that semester was a 1.6.

You could actually hear the hazing going on all over campus during their I-week. Had someone been hurt, there is no possible way that the organization was not on notice that this was a problem chapter.

They've since cleaned up, fixed their GPA problems and are fairly respectable, but damn.. I've heard about this type of thing happening regarding this organization all over the country.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I think that organizations which don't take a strong stance are really putting their future in grave danger.

What's wrong with serving beer in your house? Not all forbid it.

.........and there have been several charity events that I have been to and been a part of that have served booze.

A 14 year old serving it, that's a little odd........but I have to think she was maybe with her parents or something like that. I don't know, doesn't sound like a big deal to me.

How many 14 year olds do you know that go to fraternity parties with their parents?

Well, according to Kevin it was a charity event.....not a party.

But to answer your question...my younger sisters have come to game days at our house with my parents several times. I wouldn't call it a "party" but there is alcohol, food, etc. There are always a ton of younger brothers and sisters there. Now an actual party.......no, there aren't any younger kids, or parents for that matter.

I did forget to mention that at the time we were a dry campus, so any beer in the house was a bad thing.

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