The University of Iowa has provided a comprehensive statement addressing hazing incidents after the release of unsettling body-camera footage that has gained significant public attention.
Hazing is a persistent challenge in college fraternities, sororities, athletic teams, and even some high school groups in the United States, with some situations leading to severe injuries or fatalities.
Footage from a hazing event at the University of Iowa in November 2024 offers a startling and unsettling view of such activities.
The footage, released by the University of Iowa Police Department and shared on ‘The CrimePiece’ YouTube channel, captures officers finding 56 blindfolded individuals in the basement of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
The footage shows these blindfolded men crowded in the basement, seemingly covered in various unknown white, brown, and yellow substances.
An officer in the video is heard asking: “Does anyone want to be forthcoming about what’s going on? Anyone?
“Because you gotta see it from my perspective of, what the f**k did I just walk into?”
A detailed conversation ensued between the police and the fraternity members as the officials tried to uncover the activities taking place.
Later, officers engaged with the fraternity’s leader outside the premises.
An officer remarked: “We responded to a fire alarm, we were trying to get people to evacuate because of the fire alarm, but from my understanding, you guys refused,”
“Then, on top of that, we find this hazing event, we want to speak to somebody. Nobody knows anything, nobody knows anyone. Nobody knows what’s going on. This is going in a report. The University of Iowa is going to see this.”
The University of Iowa has reinforced its stance against hazing, which involves new fraternity members undergoing humiliating and potentially dangerous challenges, noting that it is banned both on campus and by Iowa law.
The Hazing Policy clearly states that ‘hazing will not be tolerated at the University of Iowa’, emphasizing its prohibition on and off campus.
Under Iowa law, hazing is considered a criminal misdemeanor, involving acts that endanger the physical health or safety of a student for initiation or admission into any organization associated with a university.
The University of Iowa’s Hazing Policy details several activities that may be considered hazing, acknowledging that other conduct could also be included under this policy.
Examples include ‘whipping, beating striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on or in someone’s body, or similar activity’. It also covers inducing or causing sleep deprivation, extreme physical exercises, consumption of substances, and sexual acts.
The Alpha Delta Phi fraternity was suspended in May 2025, with the suspension lasting for the next four academic years.
The University of Iowa encourages reporting of any concerns or activities that could be considered hazing.