By Cristobal Young and Dan Hirschman

Cornell fraternities that lost university recognition, 2008–2026

Since 2008, Cornell has taken away a fraternity’s university recognition 28 times. Twenty-five different chapters lost it, and three lost it twice. Every case below links to the official record and shows who owns the chapter’s house.

Cases: 28
Fraternities: 25
Back on campus: 11
Suspended now: 6
Not back or banned: 8
In Cornell-owned houses: 11

Two students died: George Desdunes (Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 2011) and Antonio Tsialas (Phi Kappa Psi, 2020).
One alleged gang rape: Chi Phi (2024). The chapter was closed and barred from campus.
11 of the 28 cases involved chapters in houses Cornell owns, including the houses tied to both deaths and to the alleged 2024 gang rape. Fifteen involved privately owned houses, and two involved chapters with no house.
17 of the 28 cases appear in Cornell’s own hazing violations report.
All six current suspensions were imposed between April 2025 and May 2026.

Cases by year

Cornell acted 9 times from 2008 to 2017 and 19 times from 2018 to Oct. 1, 2026.

Year of Cornell’s decision. *2026 through Oct. 1. Non-hazing decisions before 2018 are harder to find, so the early years may be undercounted.

All 28 cases

Back on campus: Cornell recognizes the chapter again. Not back: the minimum penalty is over, but the chapter has not been recognized again; a return takes a new application under Cornell’s expansion policy, including a plan to fix what went wrong and national staff working in Ithaca for at least a year. Suspended: still serving the penalty. Status as of Oct. 1, 2026.

#	Year	Fraternity	What happened	House and owner	Status, Oct. 1, 2026	Case record
1	2008	Sigma Pi	Four freshmen were treated at the hospital after heavy drinking at the house; two needed life-sustaining treatment.	Private730 University AveCounty record	Back on campus	Cornell Chronicle
2	2010	Pi Kappa Alpha	Three first-year students were taken to the hospital after an unofficial rush party with heavy drinking.	Private17 South AveCornell Chronicle	Back on campus	Cornell hazing report
3	2011	Sigma Alpha Epsilon	George Desdunes, 19, died after pledges staged a “mock kidnapping,” tying him up with zip ties and duct tape and giving him alcohol. He was left on a couch at the house, and no one called for medical care. Cornell ruled it hazing.	Cornell-owned122 McGraw Pl (“Hillcrest”)County record	Back on campus	Cornell statement Cornell hazing report Cornell Daily Sun, 2011
4	2012	Tau Kappa Epsilon	A freshman was hospitalized after a recruitment dinner where the chapter served alcohol.	Private105 Westbourne LnCornell Chronicle	Came back, then lost it again in 2020	Cornell Daily Sun
5	2013	Tau Epsilon Phi	Hazing that Cornell called “sexually humiliating.” Two pledges became ill from forced drinking, and 911 was called.	Private306 Highland Rd, Cayuga HeightsCounty record	Not backHouse went on the market in 2017	Cornell hazing report
6	2013	Phi Sigma Kappa	Two drinking emergencies that sent students to the hospital, plus a hazing incident.	Private702 University AveCounty record	Came back; suspended again in 2026	Cornell hazing report
7	2013	Delta Kappa Epsilon	A drinking emergency that needed medical transport. Members did not call for help and impeded police.	Cornell-owned13 South AveCornell list, 2020	Back on campus	Cornell statement
8	2014	Chi Psi	Hazing while already on probation for hazing.	Private810 University AveCornell Chronicle	Back on campus	Cornell hazing report
9	2016	Psi Upsilon	A Slope Day party held during an interim suspension, and 31 alleged judicial complaints. Separately, a sexual assault was reported at the house in January 2016; the chapter president pleaded guilty to forcible touching.	Cornell-owned2 Forest Park LnOwner in 2016 unconfirmedCounty record	Not backIts alumni closed the chapter in 2017	Cornell statement Cornell Daily Sun, 2017
10	2018	Sigma Nu	Hazing, including sexual gestures at new members and homophobic slurs.	Private230 Willard WayCounty record	Back on campus	Cornell hazing report
11	2018	Delta Phi	Hazing that Cornell called “sexually intimidating.”	Private100 Cornell Ave (Llenroc)County record	Came back; suspended again in 2025	Cornell hazing report
12	2018	Kappa Alpha Psi	Hazing documented in photos of new members being humiliated.	No houseCornell scorecard	Back on campus	Cornell hazing report
13	2018	Lambda Theta Phi	Hazing, including cold showers in underwear and blindfolded “trust falls” backward down stairs.	No houseCornell scorecard	Back on campus	Cornell hazing report
14	2018	Lambda Chi Alpha	Hazing while on probation, including an initiation ritual in which blindfolded new members had to undress.	Private125 Edgemoor LnCounty record	Back on campus	Cornell hazing report
15	2019	Sigma Phi Epsilon	Hazing while on probation. After an initiation drinking event, a new member was taken by ambulance for alcohol poisoning.	Cornell-owned109 McGraw PlCounty record	Not backIts house is now a Cornell residence hall	Cornell hazing report
16	2020	Tau Kappa Epsilon	Hazing: new members were forced to drink in a boiler room until they vomited. Cornell published the board’s recommendation, not a final decision.	Private105 Westbourne LnCornell Chronicle	Not backNo members paying rent; house sold in 2021	Cornell hazing report
17	2020	Phi Gamma Delta	Broke Cornell’s party rules. Cornell published no other details.	Cornell-owned118 McGraw PlCornell list, 2020	Back on campus	Cornell notice (archived)
18	2020	Phi Kappa Psi	Hazing at an October 2019 rush party. First-year Antonio Tsialas left the party and was found dead in Fall Creek Gorge two days later; his death was ruled an accidental fall.	Cornell-ownedThe Gables, 120 Mary Ann Wood Dr (also 525 Stewart Ave)Alumni are suing Cornell over the houseCourt ruling, 2024	Permanently banned	Cornell hazing report Cornell Daily Sun, 2020
19	2021	Sigma Alpha Mu	Hazing, and breaking Cornell’s spring 2021 social moratorium.	Cornell-owned122 McGraw PlCornell list, 2020	Back on campus	Cornell hazing report
20	2023	Alpha Epsilon Pi	Serving alcohol to minors and breaking party rules.	Private140 Thurston AveCounty record	Not backAlumni site says it is being re-established	Cornell scorecard
21	2023	Theta Delta Chi	Serving alcohol to minors and breaking party rules.	Private800 University AveCounty record	Not backAlumni site says it is being re-established	Cornell scorecard
22	2024	Chi Phi	An alleged gang rape of a student at the chapter house in October 2024. Cornell says the chapter “was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus” and that students were expelled and suspended. No one has been criminally charged. After the student sued in September 2026, the district attorney reopened the case; on Oct. 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul named Attorney General Letitia James special prosecutor.	Cornell-owned107 Edgemoor LnCornell list, 2020	Closed; barred from campus	Cornell statement Cornell Daily Sun, Oct. 2026
23	2025	Delta Phi	Hazing, including chapter leaders telling new members to have sex and record it.	Private100 Cornell Ave (Llenroc)County record	Suspended 5 years, from April 2025	Cornell hazing report
24	2025	Sigma Phi	Alcohol violations and failure to comply with university rules.	Cornell-owned1 Forest Park LnNow a Cornell residence hallCornell list, 2020	Suspended 2 years, from May 2025	Cornell scorecard
25	2026	Phi Delta Theta	Hazing over several years, including forced drinking to the point of blacking out.	Private2 Ridgewood RdCounty record	Suspended to spring 2028	Cornell hazing report
26	2026	Delta Tau Delta	Alcohol and drug violations, and failure to comply with university rules.	Cornell-owned104 Mary Ann Wood DrNow a Cornell residence hallCornell list, 2020	Suspended to spring 2029	Cornell scorecard
27	2026	Phi Sigma Kappa	Defying a university order, and theft, while on deferred suspension for 2024 hazing.	Private702 University AveCounty record	Suspended to fall 2027	Cornell scorecard Cornell hazing report
28	2026	Zeta Psi	Hazing, including a candle-lit puzzle after which new members reported burns.	Cornell-owned534 Thurston AveCornell list, 2020	Suspended to fall 2027	Cornell hazing report

Cases by year

All 28 cases

Not in the count

Druggings and sexual assault reports, fall 2022