University of Maryland students were burned with cigarettes, forced to lie on beds of nails and had to eat live FISH as part of brutal hazing, AG's office says

Several fraternities at the University of Maryland have been accused of conducting brutal hazing ceremonies that saw participants burned with cigarettes and forced to lie on beds of nails.

The school lifted a blanket suspension on most Greek life organizations Friday  followed a weeks-long investigation into allegations of abuse at a handful of fraternities.

Though five Greek organizations remain under investigation, according to WJZ. 

The investigation began when the Office of Student Conduct received an anonymous report from a parent on February 21, court documents show.

The parent claimed their son was being forced by his chapter to stay outside in the cold for hours, resulting in a trip to the University Health Center for suspected hypothermia.

He was also made to clean the off-campus houses of chapter members and scrub floors until 2:30 am, the report alleged. 

Several fraternities at the University of Maryland have been accused of conducting brutal hazing ceremonies that saw participants burned with cigarettes and forced to lie on beds of nails. The allegations sparked a massive investigation that ended on Friday

In a letter to the community, Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo (pictured) detailed the school's next steps that included developing 'more comprehensive and evidence-based educational opportunities for all chapter members regarding alcohol and other drug use'

Six days later, the office received another anonymous email alleging that multiple fraternities were engaging in hazing activities with new recruits, according to investigators.

The news claims said new members were being paddled, burned with cigarettes and torches and forced to lay on nails.

Students were also forced to consume non-food items such as living fish, chewing tobacco and urine, were spat on and forced to clean chapter members' houses, court documents allege.

At one event, 'one individual passed out' and fraternity members 'refused' to give water to prospective members, according to the allegations. 

Instead, they were 'forced' to drink 'straight vodka as they did nothing to help' the unconscious student. Rather, 'they hit him in the face with a plastic bat and poured beer on him until he woke up,' court documents reveal.

On March 1, the office received another anonymous message from the mother of a new fraternity member.

She claimed her son's chapter had been 'locking new members in the basement and breaking glass on the floor for the new members to clean up,' documents state.

Upon reviewing data from the university's Health and Counseling Centers, the office determined there had been an uptick in the number of visits by chapter members in the month of February.

The school lifted a blanket suspension on most Greek life organizations Friday, but five remain under investigation. Pictured: The McKeldin Library on the University of Maryland campus

Based on concerns about 'ongoing violations of the Code of Conduct relating to hazing and alcohol and drug use,' the office 'determined that immediate action was warranted to prevent harm to the University’s students,' according to court documents.

Despite Friday's lifting of the ban, five chapters remain under investigation. They have not been publicly named by the school, but court documents note that Kappa Alpha Order is being probed over allegations of hazing and alcohol abuse.

The other four fraternities were not identified in court documents, but Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Nu and Zeta Beta Tau were the only Greek life organizations not cleared to resume activities Friday, according to the university.

The embattled institution was also hit with a lawsuit by several fraternities who argued that the school had violated students' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights during its investigation. 

But the Maryland Attorney General's Office filed a memorandum in opposition to the fraternities' request for a temporary restraining order against school officials.

The office argued the university was 'fully authorized pursuant to its Code of Student Conduct' to impose restrictions amid an investigation into hazing and alcohol abuse, 'which threatened the health and safety of its students.' 

In a letter to the community, Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo detailed the school's next steps.

These included developing 'more comprehensive and evidence-based educational opportunities for all chapter members regarding alcohol and other drug use' and establishing reporting mechanisms 'to share possible instances of hazing or other concerns in real time.'

The embattled institution was also hit with a lawsuit by several fraternities who argued that the school had violated students' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights in its invetigation. Pictured: Maryland's Symon's Hall

Friday's development came after the Fraternity Forward Coalition, a fraternity advocacy group, was brought in to conduct interviews with members of the school's Greek life organizations about the university's investigation. 

The organization alleges students' phones were searched as they were 'compelled to participate in a meritless investigation' by administrators who threatened 'disciplinary retribution for non-compliance.'

After the ban was lifted, the group released another statement. 'Finally, on the eve of Spring Break, the University of Maryland does the right thing,' it read.

'Sadly, it took them two weeks and the threat of a judge's ruling to do it. We are astonished by the school’s willingness to repeatedly violate their students’ civil liberties...and their own administrative procedures in chasing a meritless investigation.'

The group has vowed to continue to pursue litigation against school representatives.