AKPsi's UNC chapter is under investigation following allegations of hazing

UNC's professional, co-ed business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi is under investigation by its national organization following allegations of hazing, according to emails sent to fraternity members in November and December of 2018.

The Alpha Tau chapter has been accused of “gross improper conduct” and hazing through the use of alcohol, excessive fatigue and mental stress. 

Chapter president Kevin Rodriguez, who was recently elected UNC's senior class vice president, said the chapter is cooperating with the national Alpha Kappa Psi organization’s investigation. 

“Not unlike an accused individual, our organization is entitled to the same presumption of innocence and right to due process; and we are certain that once the process surrounding these allegations is complete Alpha Kappa Psi, as it is currently constituted, will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” Rodriguez said in a statement. 

Rodriguez said he cannot comment on the specifics of the investigation as it is ongoing. 

In a cease and desist letter sent by Alpha Kappa Psi CEO Steve Hartman on Nov. 16, fraternity members were instructed to suspend all fraternity events and activities, including professional and social gatherings and pledging. 

“Due to the seriousness of these credible allegations, the chapter is hereby placed on an immediate cease and desist order until further notice,” Hartman said in the letter. 

The national organization could not be reached for comment. 

UNC Media Relations manager Jeni Cook said the Office of Student Conduct was made aware of the hazing allegations by an anonymous source. 

"The University is unable to comment on the specifics of any case pending before the Honor Court," Cook wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel. 

Anna Millar, the director of the Undergraduate Business Program at Kenan-Flagler, said the University couldn't confirm the existence or nonexistence of, or comment on any case that may go before the Honor Court. 

The UNC Alpha Kappa Psi website was taken down in January. However, the organization remains listed on the Kenan-Flagler Business School’s website as an undergraduate club, and the chapter’s Facebook page is still up. 

The fraternity did not conduct rush this semester. 

Student organization adviser Travis Day, a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at Kenan-Flagler, couldn't provide an interview when The Daily Tar Heel reached out Wednesday. Several current and former members of the chapter declined to comment on the investigation by the national organization. 

A notice of investigation sent to Alpha Kappa Psi members on Dec. 21, said the fraternity would be contacted regarding details of the investigation at the beginning of January. This email was the last message received by the whole chapter from the national organization in regard to the investigation. 

If found guilty of the charges, the chapter is subject to fine, suspension or expulsion from the national organization, according to cease and desist letter. 

UNC’s Alpha Tau chapter is not the first Alpha Kappa Psi chapter to face investigations of hazing. The chapter at California State University-Northridge had its charter revoked in 2016 following an investigation of hazing and alcohol policy violations. According toThe Chronicle, Duke University’s chapter disbanded when all but one member resigned after an investigation in 2012. 

Alpha Kappa Psi is a professional, co-ed business fraternity that focuses on personal and professional development. The national fraternity, founded in 1904, has 263 chapters and 263,966 living members, according to its website. The UNC chapter was founded in 1925, according to their Facebook page. 

UNC has one other professional, co-ed business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi that has its own national organization. Delta Sigma Pi also focuses on personal and professional development, and has its own national organization.

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