UConn Sorority Banned From Campus For 'Bacon Hazing' May Appeal
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) - A sorority banned from the University of Connecticut for hazing is considering an appeal, saying the punishment is extreme.
Elizabeth Baily, the national vice president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, said in an email to The Associated Press that removing an entire chapter from campus "for the poor decisions made by a few individuals at an unsanctioned event is wrong.''
She said the sorority will respond to UConn after finals week to allow the students in the local chapter to focus on academics.
UConn, meantime, is not backing down from its decision to ban the sorority.
"Our decision to revoke their registration was not taken lightly, but it was appropriate. Indeed, it was imperative in light of how severe these circumstances were," campus spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz told WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau. "UConn has no tolerance for hazing. We repeatedly make those expectations clear to all of our student leaders."
The school revoked the sorority's registration Wednesday and ordered it out of its campus house by May 15. It says an investigation found sorority member Hillary Holt in March was forced to lie on a floor and "sizzle like bacon,'' then drink alcohol until she passed out.
Holt said when she awoke in the hospital, she was told her blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit.
Kappa Kappa Gamma has been banned from the UConn campus for at least four years, after which time the soroity can reapply as a campus organization.
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