Five University of Alabama fraternity members were arrested on charges of hazing other students, officials said Wednesday — the latest in a string of campus scandals.
They were being held pending $1,000 bond at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, the university said in a statement.
Their arrest follows an investigation by the university into allegations involving the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Phi Gamma Delta has been placed under “interim sanctions,” the university said, including “no social events and no new member activities.”
Colter K. Anderson, 21, of Dallas, Texas; John Patrick Buckley, 21, of Houston, Texas; Hunter Lee Wagner, 20, of Huntsville, Alabama; and Richard E. Markwalter, 20, also of Huntsville, each face three hazing charges. Mark Allen Powers, 20, of Athens, Alabama, faces one hazing charge.
It follows allegations that the members of the fraternity made pledges stand in buckets of ice and salt, causing burns on pledges' feet, The Birmingham News reported. Those details could not be independently verified by NBC News.
“The University of Alabama will not tolerate hazing and takes allegations and incidents of hazing very seriously,” Tim Hebson, dean of students, said in a statement. “Students who are the victims of, or who become aware of, hazing incidents are strongly encouraged to bring these incidents to our attention.”
A grand jury last month recommended charges against three dozen members of New York City college fraternity in connection with the death of freshman Michael Deng, who was killed during a "brutal" hazing ritual. Five of the young men face third-degree murder charges.
Pennsylvania State University’s Kappa Delta Rho fraternity was accused of running an invitation-only Facebook page that showed hazing rituals, drug deals and naked women who appeared to be passed out.
At the University of Michigan, the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity was disbanded after some members helped trash two ski resorts during an alcohol-fueled weekend, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
