UH Frat Suspended, and Wild Rumor Flies

The University of Houston still won't divulge details about hazing allegations that have left five students suspended and facing both expulsion and criminal charges. But given the school president's comments earlier this month—"I am shocked, dismayed, and deeply disappointed that allegations of this nature have arisen on our campus," said UH President Renu Khator—something nasty is alleged to have occurred during pledging ceremonies for the campus chapter of Sigma Chi. Gawker thinks it knows: waterboarding, but with booze instead of water. Because school officials won't confirm, it's all rumor at this point, but the Gawker post says the explanation is in wide circulation across campus and from multiple sources on Reddit boards.

The post also notes that the rumor is so widely known that the campus newspaper included a video report about what waterboarding looks like. Expect nothing official, however, until a police investigation is complete in a few weeks. One new development: The allegations came from within the Sigma Chi family, reports the Houston Chronicle. Members of the chapter at Stephen F. Austin University reported the alleged hazing to the national chapter after witnessing it at UH. (The news comes amid frat scandals at Penn State and the University of Oklahoma.)