UConn has suspended the campus chapter of the Lambda Theta Phi fraternity Thursday, less than a week after the chapter's former president was arrested in connection to a hazing incident.
The initial incident occurred in early February, but was reported to state police on March 23 by a student who had taken part in the initiation process for the fraternity.
According to the student, the frat's 23-year-old head pledge master and former president assaulted him during that initiation process.
The frat's former president was arrested by state police on May 3 and was charged with disorderly conduct, assault, strangulation, and unlawful restraint. He was released on $30,000 bond.
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According to the warrant, the former president of the fraternity brought the pledges to a house in Willington on Feb. 8. The pledges were reportedly forced to do push-ups while reciting what the pledge masters were saying and when one would fall, they would all have to start from the beginning.
The former president of the fraternity allegedly got upset at the student and threw him across the room into a wall. As the student stood up, the warrant says the former fraternity president used his arm and pushed it into his neck while yelling.
The next day, the pledges went back to the same house in Willington and had to recite the information like the day prior while also learning new information.
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When the pledges didn't recite the new information correctly, the warrant said the former fraternity president made everyone get into the push-up position again, but this time, the student was falling much sooner from being tired from the night before.
The warrant said the student got back into a push-up position one more time to recite the information again when the former fraternity president pushed him up against a wall and used his forearm to choke him.
The next day, the student dropped out of the fraternity. He gave his uniform back on March 21 and the warrant said the student was assaulted by the former fraternity president again. The student said that assault was reported to UConn police because it happened on campus.
The former frat president was arrested by UConn police on Tuesday and was charged with third-degree assault, third-degree strangulation, and disorderly conduct in connection with the on-campus incident.
He is scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court for both cases on May 21.
Lambda Theta Phi has been operating a campus chapter in Storrs since 1991, according to UConn. The suspension is effective immediately while the university investigates the hazing allegations.
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