The University of Central Florida’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity has been put on temporary suspension after a photo was released of a blindfolded pledge holding a swastika.
The image was originally taken in 2023 but only came to the attention of the university in the Fall of 2024. The fraternity was then put under suspension on December 2.
When the university discovered the images, an investigation was opened. However, it took time to determine the individuals and organizations were involved in the hazing. When UCF eventually discovered that Phi Gamma Delta was the fraternity that committed the antisemitic hazing, it was placed on suspension.
Punishments of the suspension The suspension includes a prohibition from participating in any activities, including recruitment in the spring semester, socials, and meetings. The Exclusive Director of Internal and Exclusive Communications, Courtney Gilmartin, said that the organizations may experience additional sanctions as the investigation unfolds.
In an email, Gilmartin censures the hazing while expressing the severity of the situation. “UCF unequivocally condemns hazing and acts of antisemitism,” she said. “While we have come to understand that the students in the photo were blindfolded and unaware of the hateful symbols at the time, this does not diminish the seriousness of this incident or the harm caused.”
Jordan Denitto, Executive Director of Phi Gamma Delta, made a comment to the UCF’s student paper, Knight News, saying, “This incident was terrible, and we would never condone it. The current chapter members were not aware of this occurrence, and the members responsible are no longer at the university.” He said, “We continue to cooperate with the university in its investigation
To me this seems more about hazing than antisemitism. I do not know about the status hazing in the 2020s but to me hazing is about humiliating people to see if they can take it. If they can they are deemed worthy of becoming a member of their sorority or fraternity. It involved things like dropping a naked pledge to some remote location on a bitter cold day or forcing the pledge to drink a massive amount of alcohol in a short period time. Occasionally somebody would die, there would be outrage and calls to ban hazing and then it would be forgotten about until the next time. Hazing has always stigmatized the Greek movement for me. I understand why people would assume antisemitism these days but as of now I see no evidence any involved are prejudiced against Jews.
Hazing scene from the 1993 movie ‘Dazed and Confused’ set in 1976.
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Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 23 Feb 2025, 11:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hazing rituals used to be simple back in the day. You either took the newbie and threw him in a garbage can full of garbage or spanked him with a paddle or made him drink his weight in alcohol or parade him around campus wearing women's clothing. Now they gotta go the extra mile and do s**t like this.
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Joined: 12 Jan 2025 Gender: Non-binary Posts: 480 Location: Australia
23 Feb 2025, 3:55 pm
I think there's been several threads on hazing in high schools and colleges on WP.
Basically to distill it down: Its a tradition stemming from the elite private schools and elite universities of Britain from at least the 19th century. In Britain and Australia I think it was originally called beasting but has evolved into ragging and/or hazing.
Some uncertainty exists as to whether the rituals are distortion of early masonic ritual but in Oxford and Cambridge students formed societies with greek alphabet where new students were expected to be initiated and expected to endure humiliation, degradation and abuse. Coupled with this was a derivation of masonic symbolism with cloaks, secret rites and rites designed to instill fear (drinking out of skulls, voodoo etc). Of course no student would snitch because they wanted to be accepted and feared repercussion as many of those involved in "beasting" were headmasters and or college professors.
Fast forward to 2025 and these hazing rituals are purely student fraternities involving a mix of initiation and an excuse to bully new students. Students have been traumatized or died from hazing in the past.
But part of the hazing involved symbols. I think the use of the swastika is meant to instil fear in the new initiate, I suspect (as AS alluded) it doesn't mean the frat boys are Nazis. But in 2025 I compare it to blackface, its a stupid decision given the symbol is so triggering and we know frat boys like to be intentionally provocative (no prizes for guessing there).
23 Feb 2025, 9:58 am
