Alright, since you’re here and clicked on this post, you’re very interested in knowing something that has been pretty hot in the headlines recently, and sure enough, we’re hinting at the Sigma Chi Hazing Lawsuit, you know? And for those who’re still unaware of the details, well, it is about William Ide, an ex-student of the College of Charleston, who believed the joining of the Iota Epsilon chapter of Sigma Chi as its pledge would start something great in September 2021, but, spoiler alert: it didn’t. Like, as per the details that are already out, you know, what started as a new and exciting chapter quickly turned into something that sounded like a much worse nightmare in real life, and he literally had to live it through.
For a little more disclosure here, you see, like, in just weeks after pledging, William says he was thrown headlong into a toxic haze (literally and figuratively) of physical, emotional, and mental abuse, which was not good at all. So yeah, later down the line, like, by January 2022, just a few months later, he had to leave school, go back home, and get medical help. So intense was the ordeal that they decided to file a lawsuit against the fraternity, the college, and certain individuals involved.
The Shocking Details No One Should Have to Endure
To put it mildly, you know, like, William’s initiation hazing account is disturbing. How and why? Well, just so you know, he claims the pledge day set the tone: absurd amounts of alcohol; dope; verbal abuse, and worse. That wasn’t all of it; things continued right up to embarrassing things like stuffing his socks in his mouth while people pelted him with condiments, eggs, and beer cans. Yep, really!!
It didn’t end on that day, though. Just so you know, pledges like William were also said to have to work under the same humiliating conditions as cleaner houses for fraternity members. The fraternity’s “activities” also included this pranking: he was held upside down for a keg stand until he went spewed, as well as it pressured him to drink vodka up to the point of having whipped-bounced, and that’s just insane if you think about it for a sec. He sensed himself getting physically unhealthy and emotionally torn also.
It did not stop there, when he walked out of the fraternity, the harassment went straight ahead. Like, he does say that some of the members stalk him and verbally abuse him as if the trauma he went through was not enough.
And This Lawsuit? Well, That’s Just A Call for Accountability!
Sure enough, as you could have imagined, now the fightback was initiated by William and his family. They have filed a lawsuit against Sigma Chi’s Iota Epsilon chapter, national organization, the College of Charleston, and individual members seeking accountability and financial compensation for the damage that has been done, and it is just a call for accountability and justice, that’s all.
This lawsuit also removes the veil on a much larger issue. Sigma Chi has a history of hazing complaints, not only in Charleston but across the nation. This case might be important in determining the way such organizations are held accountable someday, you know?
Sure enough, for its part, the College of Charleston condemned the behavior described in the lawsuit, saying it countered their policies and values. But here’s the thing, and you should know about it, like, they didn’t kick Sigma Chi off-campus. Just so you know though, they slapped the fraternity with social probation till 2025, which basically means that, for those two years, all their events need to be pre-approved. That’s it. So that’s pretty much what was going on, and where this lawsuit currently stands, and now you have a pretty good idea of it all.