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.
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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 PlThe chapter now lives at 14 South AveCornell 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 |