Update 5:09 p.m.

Statement from the university.

The success of our students is paramount at Miami University. The Greek system is among many co-curricular programs providing leadership opportunities for thousands of students. The university is committed to ensuring both the positive growth of each fraternity and sorority member during their time as a Miami student and, most important, their health and safety. Over the past few weeks we received reports related to the fraternity new-member process that have led to serious concerns, and we are thoroughly investigating all of them. Miami does not tolerate hazing. Behaviors that endanger the health or safety of others violate the values of our fraternal organizations as well as of the university. Among steps taken in response to those negative behaviors is that the student-led Interfraternity Council, with full support from Miami University, is requiring chapters to initiate their new members by Friday, Feb. 26. By ending the new-member process for this spring earlier than scheduled, our fraternity community will be able to communicate expectations and monitor behaviors more quickly.

Still no fucking clue what happened, but fraternities must initiate pledges by this Friday now rather than the originally reported Sunday deadline.

Update 4:54 p.m.

Still no word from IFC or an official statement from the university, causing speculation to run rampant and turn this whole ordeal into a clusterfuck of rumors. All we can confirm so far is the mandated end to the spring pledge process.

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A flood of emails are coming in from Miami University, all with the same narrative that IFC has sent out a mandate after a presidents meeting that every fraternity on campus must initiate their pledges by Sunday or face a lengthy, multiple-year suspension.

One of those emails is below.

Some news that literally just broke a few hours ago: MIAMI UNIVERSITY HAS MANDATED THAT ALL FRATERNITIES IMMEDIATELY CEASE THE PLEDGING PROCESS. All new pledges must be initiated by Sunday night. Typically the pledge process would last another 5-6 weeks. This is in response to the 27 kids that have been sent to the hospital since the beginning of rush (rush started January 25th), and most recently a pledge being life-flighted and subsequently flat-lining and being revived in the hospital. I can assure the credibility of this as I am currently a student and pledge in a fraternity here on campus. Miami has 30 fraternities, of which 6 of them are suspended/kicked off, and talks of 3 more being suspended are swirling around. Crazy time to be in greek life here at Miami U.

The rumor mill in Oxford is smoking hot with speculation right now. It sounds like Miami is in complete crisis mode.

Evidently, there’s also been a record number of hazing reports this past semester, and multiple tipsters have thrown out allegations of pledges getting waterboarded. Just a crazy time to go to school at “Mother of Fraternities.”

We’re currently awaiting a statement from IFC and we’ll update this story as it develops.

Do you have information on the Miami story? Email us at [email protected]