The national Kappa Sigma fraternity issued a withdrawal letter for its UTC chapter that was suspended following a self-immolation incident that left two pledges burned, officials said.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is aware of the withdrawal letter, Brent Goldberg, the vice chancellor for finance and administration, said, but the university will not be commenting further.
When asked by email why the university did not initially disclose the chapter had been withdrawn, Brett Fuchs, spokesperson for the university’s office of emergency management, said the decision is between the fraternity headquarters and the local chapter.
The senior vice president for Kappa Sigma fraternity, Leo Brown, has not answered phone calls or an email from the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The local chapter, Alpha Iota, is listed as dormant on the fraternity’s website, and it’s unclear if the chapter is able to appeal the withdrawal.
Days after the Times Free Press reported on a campus police hazing investigation stemming from the self-immolation incident last year, UTC announced a moratorium on all Greek Life activities, which lasted until Wednesday.
After District Attorney Coty Wamp recused herself, a special prosecutor declined to file charges, finding that the pledges voluntarily planned and participated in setting themselves on fire. One of the burned pledges, Kaiden Bates, said the incident was not hazing, even though a campus police investigation said hazing at the fraternity goes back at least three years.
The local chapter remains on interim suspension pending the outcome of its student conduct investigation. Fuchs said he could not give a timeline for when the campus investigation will conclude.
(READ MORE: Group says UTC’s Greek Life pause violates First Amendment)
Kappa Sigma chapters elsewhere have faced similar sanctions. At Oklahoma State University, the fraternity’s Gamma-Psi chapter was removed from campus after an investigation into alleged alcohol and hazing violations. The chapter’s charter was withdrawn, according to a press release by the chapter house’s property owners.
Contact breaking news reporter Mason Edwards at medwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6409.