LSU frat suspended, may have violated university policies

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana State University has suspended a fraternity for possible violations of university policies before and after the death of a student in an alleged hazing incident at a different fraternity's house.

In a letter dated Tuesday, a university official says the Alpha Gamma Rho chapter at LSU may have engaged in unspecified "activities" on Aug. 21 that violated university policies. The official said the fraternity also may have broken a rule last Sunday by holding a "new member activity" without an adviser present.

Four LSU fraternities have been suspended or closed since the Sept. 14 death of 18-year-old Maxwell Gruver, a freshman from Roswell, Georgia, who was trying to join the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Ten people were arrested last month on misdemeanor hazing charges in Gruver's death. A coroner said the freshman's blood-alcohol content was more than six times the legal limit for driving when he died.

Phi Delta Theta's national office closed its LSU chapter immediately after Gruver's death.

The Lambda Chi fraternity at LSU closed last month after its national leaders deemed the chapter to be "unsafe." In 2015, LSU had placed Lambda Chi on probation for hazing through May 2019.

Another fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, was suspended last month for holding an Oct. 13 social event that didn't comply with a recent "status update" issued by LSU. University spokesman Ernie Ballard said the university informed all fraternities and sororities that they must meet certain conditions, including risk management training, before they could resume holding social events.

"Pi Kappa Phi allegedly held an event during this period without being in compliance with the university's directive, so it has been placed on interim suspension," he said in a statement.

Ballard said school officials are investigating the Alpha Gamma Rho and Pi Kappa Phi fraternities for possible violations of the LSU's Code of Student Conduct.

"As a university, we approach each incident on a case-by-case basis and consistently follow established policies and procedures," he said.