North Carolina State University has suspended the Sigma Nu Beta Tau chapter after finding it responsible for violating one or more elements of the student code of conduct, even as campus police pursue a separate criminal investigation into hazing allegations against the fraternity. The dual-track response, disciplinary and criminal, has left students on the Raleigh campus with more questions than answers about what happened inside the chapter.
The suspension was first reported by ABC11, which noted that NC State University Police are conducting a criminal investigation into the allegations alongside the university's own conduct finding. Sigma Nu's national organization confirmed that both the fraternity and the university suspended Beta Tau chapter activities pending completion of the investigation, and it stressed that the fraternity was founded in direct opposition to hazing, according to the same report.
Not every outlet agrees on the precise nature of the suspension. WRAL reported that Sigma Nu was placed under an interim suspension, but said it remains unclear exactly when or why that suspension began. CBS17 likewise noted that initial reports have not indicated what the hazing accusations included, leaving the underlying conduct undisclosed even as the sanctions move forward.
Questions Go Unanswered at the Chapter House
ABC11 visited the Sigma Nu house on Tuesday seeking comment on the allegations but got no answer at the door. The outlet also went to NC State University Police that same day asking about potential arrests, a police report, and an investigation timeline, but police did not respond with that information, per ABC11's reporting. No Sigma Nu Beta Tau chapter representative has offered an on-the-record response in the reporting reviewed so far.
Students interviewed described a mix of frustration and unease. Ben Nguyn said the allegations make fraternities look bad broadly, and he recounted that his best friend left a fraternity after a member suffered alcohol poisoning from drinking too much at the direction of fraternity brothers. Levi Miller, a member of Alpha Gamma Rho, said he believes the campus overall opposes hazing and pointed out that Greek organizations require students to complete anti-hazing modules every semester. Serralai Smith said the allegations could make students wary of joining campus organizations and create a sense of isolation among students who stay away. More broadly, students said they are watching how the university responds as questions about campus safety and accountability remain unresolved.
A Pattern of Hazing Cases at NC State
The Beta Tau case joins a string of hazing-related sanctions at NC State in recent years. The university revoked Delta Sigma Phi's recognition on November 20, 2024, following an administrative hearing over alcohol policy, social event policy, and Greek Village Community Standards violations, according to NC State's Fraternity and Sorority Life office. The same office's records show Beta Theta Pi lost its recognition on December 21, 2021, specifically over hazing violations, with the organization listed as eligible to return only as of August 1, 2025.
A review by The Assembly of disciplinary records from five North Carolina public universities found 14 fraternity hazing cases between 2019 and 2025, including an NC State finding that Pi Kappa Phi was responsible for hazing tied to a 2022 abandonment challenge, which led to probation until 2024. The outlet also detailed NC State's 2021 revocation of Beta Theta Pi's recognition after finding pledges were subjected to degrading activities, and noted that UNC Charlotte suspended Kappa Sigma for five years in 2022 after reportedly obtaining videos of multiple hazing acts.
The issue extends well beyond North Carolina. More than half of the Sigma Nu chapter at the University of Colorado Boulder were suspended after 45 pledges were hazed in fall 2025, according to emails reviewed by The Denver Post. NC State has also dealt with hazing findings outside Sigma Nu entirely: the university stopped recognizing the Xi Zeta chapter of Phi Beta Sigma after its national fraternity suspended the chapter for four years following its own hazing investigation, according to Technician, NC State's student newspaper.
How Common Is Hazing, and What Counts
National data on hazing remains limited because there are no national reporting requirements and even the definition of what constitutes hazing varies, according to the Hazing Prevention Network. A 2008 study cited by the group found that 55% of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations had experienced hazing, that 47% arrived at college having already experienced it, and that only one in 10 students who went through hazing actually labeled it as such. The group also reported that 71% of students who witnessed hazing said alcohol was involved in some way, and it identifies alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, sleep deprivation, and sex acts as hazing practices common across all types of student groups.
NC State defines hazing as intentional, reckless, or negligent activity connected to organizational membership that creates an unreasonable risk of physical or psychological harm or interferes with academic activities, according to the university's Office of Student Conduct. The office's policy states that consent or a lack of intent are not valid defenses to hazing charges, and it strongly encourages anyone who experiences or observes hazing to contact NC State University Police or the Office of Student Conduct directly.
NC State also maintains a public hazing transparency report, though it only includes confirmed violations that occurred on or after July 1, 2025, with updates planned at least twice a year when violations are confirmed, according to the university's Hazing Prevention office. Miller said Greek organizations require students to complete anti-hazing modules every semester.
For now, the university has found the chapter responsible in its conduct case, while the police department's criminal investigation into Sigma Nu Beta Tau remains unresolved, and neither the timeline nor the scope of what investigators are looking into has been made public. Students on campus say they are left watching for whatever the university decides to disclose next.
