Ohio University's Delta Tau Delta chapter will fight hazing charges from both the city and university after two pledges were hospitalized in early November.
OU referred the fraternity to university judiciaries in late November after completing interviews with students involved in the incident and reading police and resident assistant reports, said Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi.
One pledge said he was blindfolded, forced to drink large quantities of alcohol and repeatedly slapped around at a fraternity event Nov. 12, according to a police report. Pledges told police they were told they would not get into the fraternity if they refused drinks or beatings.
Michael Pristera, 18, of Prospect, Ky., sustained multiple injuries including broken bones, a swollen and bloody face, a chipped tooth and handprints on his chest, back and sides.
I am very
very concerned about what I read in the police report Lombardi said in a previous interview. This type of behavior is not acceptable.
Since Delta Tau Delta has denied the charges, OU will assemble a panel of university employees and students to hear the fraternity's case, he said. If found guilty, the fraternity and its members could face probation or expulsion from campus.
The fraternity pleaded not guilty Nov. 23 to similar charges from the city and is set to have pretrial hearings Jan. 21. At the pretrial, the fraternity can choose to set a trial date or bargain with the court for a reduced sentence.
Other pledges said Pristera could have sustained the injuries at the fraternity house, where they were forced to say bad things and were then hit for saying them, according to the resident assistant report.
There is some question about the extent of (Pristera's) injuries Lombardi said, adding that it is unknown whether all injuries were sustained at the fraternity house. The severity of university sanctions will vary depending on the severity of injuries and events that actually took place at the house, he said.
One report states that Pristera was walked home by another pledge.
According to OUPD's report
he was walked home by Rotar
said Athens Police Officer Jeremy Emerick.
In talks with Pristera, he stated that he did not know how he returned to Jefferson Hall, Lombardi said.
Southeastern Ohio Emergency Medical Services responded to a call at Jefferson Hall and transported Pristera, a freshman studying marketing, to O'Bleness.
Pristera was unconscious when the ambulance arrived. He later told police that he did not want to get his friends in trouble.
He did not want to lose his friends or the Delt house so he didn't want to say anything
said Emerick in the report.
Pristera was discharged from O'Bleness Nov. 13.
Thomas Rotar, 18, of Chardon, Ohio, entered O'Bleness at about 2:30 a.m. and said he was also assaulted at the fraternity. Rotar, a freshman who hasn't declared a major, had visible injuries from being slapped multiple times.
Rotar told police that no one should have to go through what they went through and named nine other pledges who, Rotar said, did not sustain serious injuries. Similar incidents have occurred at Delta Tau Delta before, said Rotar in the report.
Pledges who refused to obey fraternity members were tackled to the ground
slapped around and thrown into walls
according to the report.
Rotar was accompanied to O'Bleness by fellow pledge Greg Tropf, whose injuries are unknown. Rotar was asked to write out a statement and
before he answered
looked over to Tropf. Tropf shook his head no
according to the report.
The university will continue to investigate each member's role in the alleged incident and could sanction individuals, Lombardi said. The national chapter of Delta Tau Delta will base any sanctions on the results of the judicial hearing, he said.
The national chapter announced in November that it will temporarily suspend operations at OU's chapter, including forbidding them from hosting social events, recruiting prospective members and educating new members about the fraternity. Members will continue to live in the fraternity house.
The international Fraternity takes these allegations seriously
