The UF chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has been temporarily suspended in the wake of recent hazing allegations.
According to an email sent by the Office of Sorority & Fraternity Affairs to UF's Greek community Tuesday night, the fraternity has been placed on interim suspension pending the outcome of a formal hearing.
University Police are investigating allegations that were reported to authorities Saturday.
"There are allegations of serious physical hazing and visible injuries," said UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes.
Sources with knowledge of the situation told the Alligator the hazing may have included the beating of potential initiates.
UF officials believe the hazing occurred in recent weeks, and there was no hospitalization as a result from injuries.
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Dave Kratzer said Wednesday that a specific instance of hazing occurring off-campus was reported.
"If someone's guilty of this, it's a crime," he said.
On Sunday, Alpha Phi Alpha received a cease-and-desist order from its district director instructing the fraternity to immediately stop all chapter activities until further notice.
In the message, District Director for the Southern Region John Ellis Jr. instructed UF chapter members to return the chapter seal, chapter checkbook and and any other Alpha items to their chapter advisor.
Ellis also told members not to contact anyone seeking membership
William Douglass Lyle, executive director of the national organization, said in a statement Wednesday that Alpha Phi Alpha plans to cooperate with the police investigation.
"If any member of Alpha Phi Alpha is found to engage in conduct inconsistent with our mission, that member will be dealt with firmly," he said.
An anti-hazing committee recently formed at UF at the request of Frank Brogan, chancellor of the State University System of Florida.
Administrators, a professor and a student make up the committee, which met last week for the first time to review the university's hazing policies.
Kratzer said the committee's goal is not to target the Greek system but to examine possible hazing occurring in areas across campus.
"Let's take a look at the whole university," he said.
Student Body President Anthony Reynolds said everyone should have respect for the investigation process before jumping to conclusions.
"When the facts do come out, I know that they will be handled in the proper way," he said.
Alpha Phi Alpha is a National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternity.
NPHC is comprised of nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities.
According to the fraternity's website, Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for African-Americans, and it was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., in 1906.
