Last week, UNL police were called to a parking lot behind the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, where a group of male students dressed in black allegedly pinned another student to the ground before covering him in a sheet and throwing him into the back of a van.

Officers later found the van near 16th and R streets and contacted the registered owner’s son in the basement of the Newman Center, where he was with about a dozen other UNL students.

The student who was reportedly kidnapped told police the incident was a prank “in which he voluntarily participated,” and officers gave the students a warning.

UNL spokesman Steve Smith said students pledging Greek houses at UNL are required to attend workshops where they review the definition of hazing -- including that claiming consent does not protect an organization from investigation.

Additionally, events throughout the year for members of the Greek community and non-Greek students often touch on these and similar topics, Smith added.

“We’re taking that very seriously, and it has not gone unnoticed," he said of cases recently reported. "If we evaluate this and determine there needs to be more steps taken, there will be.”