Fraternity brothers at West Virginia University are facing trouble.
The school temporarily suspended Lambda Chi Alpha amid bullying allegations, adding to a series of fraternity scandals on college campuses across the country.
According to UVA Today, Morgantown University announced the suspension of classes on October 9, three days after campus police issued a warning for anonymous reports of bullying.
Campus warnings are issued when a reported crime covered by the federal Clery Act is deemed to pose a “serious or continuing” threat to the campus community.
University officials also took a tough stance.
“West Virginia University has zero tolerance for bullying or any dangerous activity that threatens the safety or well-being of students. The university is committed to providing a safe environment for students, faculty, and staff,” the university said on its website.
In accordance with University policy, incidents of bullying will be investigated and referred to the West Virginia University Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for review.
The school’s student code strictly prohibits bullying by individuals and recognized student organizations, including potentially dangerous rituals including “beating, branding and forced consumption of alcohol, food or drugs that may be deemed to adversely affect the physical health and safety of the person being treated,” according to the Campus Student Code.
The charges come amid other fraternity-related controversies at Cornell University, where a woman claimed she was gang-raped by seven fraternity members, Arizona State University, and Penn State University, where a drug ring within a fraternity was busted in August.
National data shows reports of bullying extend far beyond individual campuses.
A bombshell report released by HazingInfo on September 16 analyzed data from July 2025 to August 2026, documenting at least 556 incidents of bullying during that period.
About one in six U.S. colleges and universities reported at least one incident of bullying during this period.
“Students and families can now see the hundreds of bullying incidents that are documented in schools each year,” said Jolayne Houtz, founder of HazingInfo. “This could mean thousands of bullying victims.”
Hutz, whose 19-year-old son died after being bullied at Washington State University in 2019, urged the university to address the issue and warned that bullying can have deadly consequences.
“Bullying is not an isolated problem for a few fraternities or campuses. It is a public health crisis and a national disgrace,” she said.
Lambda Chi Alpha remains on interim suspension while West Virginia University responds to the allegations.
“We have no additional information to provide at this time,” West Virginia University Director of Communications Shawna Johnson told The Washington Post.
Lambda Chi did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.