‘Sizzle like bacon’ sorority says banishment by UConn a poor decision

A sorority banned from the University of Connecticut for hazing calls that punishment extreme and says it is considering an appeal.

Elizabeth Baily, the national vice president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, says in an email to The Associated Press that removing an entire chapter from campus "for the poor decisions made by a few individuals at an unsanctioned event is wrong."

She says the sorority will respond to UConn after finals week to allow the students in the local chapter to focus on academics.

The school revoked the sorority's registration Wednesday and ordered it out of its campus house by May 15. It says an investigation found a sorority member in March was forced to lie on a floor and "sizzle like bacon," then drink alcohol until she passed out.

"UConn has zero tolerance for hazing and all similarly harmful behaviors, and repeatedly makes those expectations clear to all student leaders in Greek life and other organizations," school spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said in an email to the Associated Press. "The university's decision to revoke Kappa Kappa Gamma's registration and recognition was not taken lightly, but it was appropriate and imperative in light of the severity of the circumstances.'

UConn sophomore and Kappa Kappa Gamma member Hillary Holt told reporters she was taken to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon's off-campus house on March 6 and forced to commit humiliating acts, including being told to lie on the floor and pretend to "sizzle like bacon." She said she was then pressured to drink alcohol to the point of passing out.

Holt said she woke up in a hospital and was told her blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.

The sorority's national chapter issued a statement in March saying it does not tolerate hazing and "will continue to be an advocate for anti-hazing education across the country."

The Associated Press contributed to this report