Rutgers Suspends Sigma Gamma Rho After Hazing Charges
Rutgers, N.J. police said Wednesday the incidents occurred between Jan. 18 and Jan. 25.
The six members who were arrested are Vanessa Adegbite; Kesha Cheron, a School of Arts and Sciences junior; Ilana Warner, a Livingston College senior; Joana Bernard; Marie Charles, a Douglass College senior, and Shawna Ebanks, a Rutgers College senior, according to the Rutgers Daily Targum.
They are charged with aggravated hazing, an indictable criminal offense, and could face disciplinary action and possible expulsion under the university's code of conduct. They are free on bail.
Authorities say the beatings took place at a student apartment building in New Brunswick and at private homes in Newark and West Orange. Police say at least one student sought medical attention for her injuries.
The Sigma Gamma Rho national headquarters said, "Hazing of any kind is strictly prohibited and is inconsistent with the principles of the sorority," in a written statement on their site.