A group of University Police officers entered the Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity house Monday night to find 36 pledges kneeling shirtless on the floor of the basement.
The fraternity known as TEP was placed under interim suspension by the Dean of Students Office after the "ongoing hazing" was discovered, according to the UPD report released Wednesday.
The following account of events is taken from a UPD report written by detective Jacob Pruitt.
Pruitt, interim Dean of Students Paige Crandall and other officers arrived at the TEP house at 8:45 p.m. after being called about possible hazing.
In the large basement room, Pruitt identified the TEP pledge class kneeling shirtless on the floor, dressed in black gym shorts and shoes. Six TEP members stood in front of them, sitting in chairs and holding Coors bottles.
As Pruitt instructed the pledges to sit down to take the pressure off their knees, one of the members in the front of the room passed out and fell from his chair. The student was later taken to the hospital for unknown medical reasons.
Pruitt found "baby diapers, diapers with duct tape attached, broken glass bottles, alcohol bottles, trash and a trash can that was half full of water and ice," the report stated.
A few pledge brothers wore wet shoes, and one of them shivered on the floor, saying he was cold, though Pruit wrote the room was warm. His socks were soaked as well as the pair of shoes placed next to him.
Sixteen members of the fraternity's pledge class were interviewed at the TEP house, 9 Frat Row, Monday night after the incident.
Eight of those interviewed provided pertinent details. Their names are not being published to protect their identities.
One interviewee said the pledge brothers were made to sit on their knees for an hour and a half because there were only four chairs in the basement. If their knees hurt, they were allowed to sit, he said.
Another pledge said he had water poured on him, but it was a cup of water from the water fountain and only done as a joke.
A third pledge told Pruitt he had food poured on him, but it was also a joke, and he wasn't injured.
Another pledge said he heard that food and eggs were thrown at people.
The pledge also said a bowl of chocolate was passed around, but the pledges were told the chocolates were actually laxatives.
No one interviewed showed signs of injury.
"Everyone was consistent with that fact that no one was forced," Pruitt wrote.
"Everything was optional, the exercises were for conditioning and the squatting on the floor for hours was fine with them because if they just wanted to sit, they were allowed."
UF spokesman Steve Orlando confirmed the suspension Wednesday night.
"We take hazing very seriously, and that's why the UPD and Student Judicial Affairs are involved," Orlando said. No arrests had been made as of Wednesday night.
Eight fraternity members declined to comment on the story when reached by phone.
Orlando said police investigations of the men involved in the incident would continue.
Alligator writer Thomas Stewart contributed to this report.
