'Call 9-1-1, I feel like I'm going to die.'

Delta Tau Delta pledge assaulted during mandatory hazing ritual

After waiting an hour and a half blindfolded and forced to listen to ominous music, one of the 24 male students who rushed Miami University's fraternity chapter Delta Tau Delta (Delts) was taken to meet his new "big brother" and subsequently bludgeoned 15 times between his buttocks with a paddle covered in "spikes and grooves," on Saturday, March 16.

The student, who filed a hazing/assault and battery report through the "Report an Incident" button on MyMiami, was a Delt pledge. He wrote in the incident report that the "paddling led to bruising and cuts," and as he was beaten, he was forced to continuously drink alcohol and smoke weed.

During the assault, other fraternity members spit on the student's face and kicked him, according to the incident report.

The whole ordeal - waiting, meeting his "big brother" and being beaten - lasted five hours. The student was very intoxicated and told his fraternity brothers, whose names were redacted in the report, to return him to his dorm room.

They complied.

Shortly after the student told his girlfriend to "'Call 9-1-1, I feel like I'm going to die.'"

The emergency squad showed up and took the student away on a stretcher.

The student spent nearly seven hours in McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital with an initial blood alcohol content (BAC) of .231, which is nearly three times the legal limit. He was eventually released at 7:15 a.m. the following morning on Sunday, March 17.

"IFC is awaiting the results of the community standards investigation. Until then we have no further comment," junior Grant Zedhner, Interfraternity Council president, wrote in a statement to The Student. "We, as a council, do not tolerate hazing and do not condone the actions of the organization outlined in the report."

Delts is currently suspended and the fraternity is under investigation by the Office of Community Standards (OCS).

Miami's general counsel, Robin Parker, thanked the anonymous student who came forward in a comment on the report.

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"Ultimately, bringing the end to hazing will take the efforts of the students themselves and will depend in large part on their willingness to come forward, tell the truth and take a stand against hazing," she wrote.

University President Gregory Crawford wrote in an initial email to the Miami community on Friday afternoon that, "the contents of this report are brutal and deplorable, and have brought us to a tipping point on this campus."

Additionally, the fraternity's national organization has condemned the hazing and placed the chapter under suspension while they partner with Miami to reach a resolution.

"Despite intentional effort to educate members through national resources and local volunteer guidance, chapter members chose to treat new members inappropriately," Delta Tau Delta's international fraternity CEO, Jack Kreeman said.

The Student reached out to sophomore and Delt chapter president Drew Brinkman, who did not respond for comment.

Originally we listed senior Colton Rowell as Delts' chapter president. He was the president for the pledge class of 2020. Sophomore Drew Brinkman is the current Delt chapter president.

This is a developing story, be sure to follow us on Twitter @miamistudent and check back on our website miamistudent.net for further coverage on this investigation.

This story was updated at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, April 1 to include the name of the Delt chapter president.

doyleca3@miamioh.edu

@cadoyle_18