By Jim Clark

Claims of sexual misconduct and inappropriate hazing at Tufts University fraternities have caused school administrators to call a halt to all social activities among fraternity members for the time being.

An article published in last month’s Tufts Observer detailed a student’s experiences while being “rushed” through an unnamed fraternity’s initiation process.

The student claimed that he was subjected to humiliating hazing practices and has personal knowledge of sexual abuse by fraternity members against female students as well as women who are not students at Tufts.

James M. Glaser, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Jianmin Qu, Dean of the School of Engineering issued an announcement last Friday regarding the student’s allegations. The announcement reads as follows:

“Dear Members of the Medford/Somerville Campus Community:

We are writing today to provide an update about the University’s ongoing response to very serious concerns that have been raised about the climate of our fraternity system.

As we reported in our community message on November 8, the Dean of Student Affairs Office, Office of Equal Opportunity, and the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) have launched multiple investigations of several Greek organizations. The University continues its investigations into these organizations and a number of separate reports that have been received by the Dean of Student Affairs Office and Office of Equal Opportunity regarding incidents of hazing and/or sexual misconduct. Four fraternities have been issued Cease and Desist orders pending the outcome of these investigations. Tufts takes any report of hazing or sexual misconduct very seriously, and any person wishing to report activity that may be unethical, inappropriate, or illegal may do so by contacting the Dean of Student Affairs Office, Office of Equal Opportunity, or TUPD. A report may also be filed anonymously via EthicsPoint.

At this time, all social activity by all fraternities has been suspended. The InterFraternity council took this action voluntarily on November 16, and the University affirmed their decision on November 18. The Panhellenic and InterFraternity councils have also voluntarily cancelled recruitment for fraternities and sororities for Spring 2017, a decision actively supported by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Affairs. (This decision does not impact city-wide recruiting for Multicultural Greek organizations (MGCs).) In addition, all fraternities are being required to participate in a sexual misconduct prevention training with Tufts CARE Office, an alcohol education session with the office of Health Promotion and Prevention, and a training with a national hazing prevention expert. These preliminary steps do not preclude further appropriate action being taken by the University, but have been implemented as interim measures pending the outcome of the current investigations.

We encourage those who may have been affected by these allegations, reports, or issues to take advantage of resources available at the University and in their local communities. Students in need of confidential support are encouraged to contact the University Chaplaincy, the CARE Office, and Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services. Faculty and staff may contact the Tufts University Chaplaincy or the Tufts Employee Assistance Program.

We take these allegations, and all others like them, extremely seriously at Tufts, and we will continue to keep the community informed about the University’s response.”

All fraternities at Tufts are to undergo training in alcohol education, sexual misconduct prevention, and hazing prevention as a prerequisite to lifting the suspension of activities within the fraternal groups.