Feds investigating reports of unlawful hazing, harassment at Brookings university, fraternity house

Complainant's arrest preceded civil rights probe involving South Dakota State University

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

South Dakota State University is the subject of a civil rights probe by the federal government stemming from alleged hazing, harassment, and retaliation on campus and a fraternity house.

The complaint that sparked the investigation, however, came after its author spent time behind bars for alleged crimes against his former fraternity brothers.

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) this month opened an investigation into reported misconduct involving the Brookings chapter of Sigma Phi Delta and the university. The probe follows a complaint alleging the university failed to take action to stop fraternity membership initiations that rose to the level of unlawful physical and mental abuse.

The DOE confirmed in a three-page letter obtained by The Dakota Scout that it has opened a case related to allegations that the university discriminated against the complainant on the bases of race, sex, and retaliation.

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