A University of Arizona fraternity has been placed on suspension after pledges were reportedly forced to swallow live goldfish and chug large amounts of alcohol.
The Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity is accused of forcing new members to participate in the risky hazing practices during the fall semester of last year, according to a letter from the Dean of Students Office to the fraternity’s president.
The letter also alleged that the pledges were “subjected to screaming, degradation and threats from active members.”
Hazing, alcohol violations, and endangering behavior are among the reported infractions listed on the university’s current conduct page. The fraternity will be required to address the accusations with University of Arizona officials.
The suspension, which will remain in effect until the investigation into the case concludes, will prohibit all fraternity activities except for business meetings. While under the suspension, Sigma Tau Gamma will be forbidden from “hosting, attending, participating, and sponsoring any organizational activities until the final disposition of this case.”
Several other fraternities at the University of Arizona have also been investigated
According to KOLD News, other accusations of hazing have also been made against several University of Arizona fraternities in recent months, one of which was put on probation for two years.
Sigma Phi Epsilon was put on probation in May and will remain so until May 31, 2027. It also had to pay a fine of over $4,000, attend a hazing program, conduct a review of its members, and meet with its national charter every month.
The fraternity was accused of kidnapping, forced calisthenics, forced beer intake, and sleep deprivation. Members were also charged with using illegal drugs.
Five other fraternities at the University of Arizona were also investigated earlier this year. Three of them, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Chi, and Phi Delta Theta, faced serious allegations of hazing. Two of them were placed on Interim Loss of Recognition.
Since 2001, the University of Arizona has enforced a stringent no-hazing policy, which was most recently revised in May 2025. During a recent National Hazing Prevention Week at the University of Arizona, students were reminded that hazing can involve physical harm, humiliation, forced consumption, and other dangerous behavior.
Cops make arrests at Wisconsin fraternity
The news of the suspension of the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity at the University of Arizona comes in the same week that police arrested two people after finding dozens of partially clothed students with injuries in a fraternity basement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Both the president and vice president of the unaccredited Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity were charged with hazing and disorderly conduct and booked into the Dane County Jail.
The Madison Police Department stated that “inside the basement of the residence, officers found around 30 other partially clothed males covered in food, condiments, and other liquids.”
The University of Wisconsin had previously terminated its recognition of Alpha Epsilon Pi over ten years ago, so it is currently is an unrecognized, unaccredited student organization. However, its national organization still recognizes it, and it was operateing independently of the university.