UCF sorority suspended

A University of Central Florida sorority has been suspended after members were accused of ordering shots for underage pledges and urging them to “chug” mimosas at an off-campus bar.

Alpha Xi Delta’s UCF chapter is on interim suspension and can’t participate in fundraisers, social activities or recruitment while the university investigates whether sorority members violated the school’s code of conduct. UCF officials were told that members “shoved a pitcher of alcohol” in pledges’ mouths at a dinner after an event, according to university reports.

The sorority’s UCF chapter, which was formed in 1995, has 173 members.

Fraternities and sororities have faced criticism over the past months for fostering alcohol and drug use. Earlier this month, Florida State University indefinitely suspended its fraternities and sororities after the suspected alcohol-related death of a freshman pledge and cocaine charges for another fraternity member. It was at least the third university nationally this year to suspend all Greek life in the wake of alcoholrelated tragedies.

At UCF, the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity also faced an interim suspension after two men were accused of raping a woman who attended a party in July. The university lifted the shortterm suspension a few weeks later, but the “conduct review process” is continuing and the organization could face more sanctions.

Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity at UCF also was suspended in June, after members were accused of hazing pledges and holding a party where a member had sex with a woman who was too drunk to consent.