A three-month-long Drexel University Student Conduct & Care investigation into Phi Kappa Psi concluded on May 21, when recognition of the fraternity was suspended for hazing charges.
Eight Phi Kappa Psi brothers moved into a satellite house in Powelton Village in September 2024. Before they unpacked into 3209 Baring Street, the family in the neighboring house had friendly relations with their neighbors on all sides. Phi Kappa Psi’s president told the Triangle that their house had been vacant for years, saying the absence of activity made the move a “rough adjustment” for their neighbors. However, according to a Zillow listing, the residence was actively used to house veterans as recently as 2023 and had been the home base for The Veterans Group since 2007.
In a conversation with the Triangle, the neighbors, a couple in their thirties with a toddler, recalled that their first interaction with the new residents was not a doorknock or a handshake but a conflagration “when they lit a large, uncontrolled fire that was put out by two fire trucks.” A video of this incident was verified by the Triangle.
While the Phi Kappa Psi brothers acknowledged that they were “at times loud or possibly annoying,” they maintain that they did not violate any Drexel policies or city codes. Despite this, noise frequently awoke the neighbors’ toddler. According to them, they only called the police for one in every ten disturbances.
Both parties confirmed that Drexel police withheld punishment and only mandated a lower noise level. Drexel Student Conduct offers an anonymous reporting form online, via which multiple neighbors submitted over 10 reports in response to witnessing urination on a neighbor’s motorcycle, late-night screaming and excessive use of drugs and alcohol.
The perceived ambivalence of DUPD ended when evidence of hazing emerged. One Baring resident felt inclined to film after hearing “the N-word being screamed multiple times,” directed at someone seemingly being forced to drink to excess. A video reviewed by the Triangle captures shouts emanating from behind the fence: “Say it, you little b—-! It’s over as soon as you say it! As soon as you say it, you are free to go. What am I to you!”
The video by the neighbors revealed more screams, demanding that someone obey the shouting man in order to be released. “I need a shot!” is yelled, along with, “Suck my d—, f–!”
In a quieter voice, one man says, “I wanna assault you.” Gut-wrenching shouts continued.
The Phi Kappa Psi president claimed that Abigail Candalor, associate director of Student Conduct & Care, used the situation to discipline a large group of students in an effort to “appease the community” and because he claims she is next in line for director. The fraternity met with Candalor via Zoom for a pre-hearing, during which members shared their individual accounts. The Phi Psi president said the case was built not on physical evidence but on the volume of submitted reports. The fraternity’s chaplain claimed that a report of their arrests was falsely submitted to Student Conduct; they were denied access to the related documents by Dr. Katie Zamulinsky, Associate Vice President of Student Life.
The Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law, also known as Act 80, requires Pennsylvania colleges to maintain a public record of all reported violations of their anti-hazing policy or of laws related to hazing. Between Jan. 2014 and July 2024, there were 19 reported violations of Act 80 at Drexel. The subjects of those reports were unnamed and included fraternities, sororities and one athletic team.
According to Drexel’s crime log for April and May, there were two hazing incidents, the first involving Phi Psi. The alleged hazing, which was reported on April 14, occurred on Jan. 29, five days before the start of Student Conduct’s investigation. The location was listed as “3200 Blk. Baring – Patrol Jurisdiction,” at a building unaffiliated with the university. Additionally, on May 21, Alpha Chi Rho was reported to Student Conduct for alleged hazing, drug law violations and liquor law violations. The location was listed as “Alpha Chi Rho – On Campus – Residential Facility.”
Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Pennsylvania Upsilon, is closed effective April 2025 and will cease all operations through April 2027, says Lindsay Wolf, associate director for Fraternity and Sorority Life. In a May email to the Greek life community, Wolf wrote, “Following a thorough investigation in coordination with the fraternity headquarters, the chapter has accepted responsibility for all charges in question,” and stated that the fraternity pleaded guilty to the hazing charges.
The fraternity’s historian told the Triangle that they deny the truth of the claims against them, but have accepted responsibility in order to protect individuals. Wolf condemned hazing in the same message. The historian maintains that this closure will virtually eliminate their ability to engage in fraternity operations indefinitely, because there will be only eight brothers remaining in April of 2027 when the suspension of recognition is released.
On Drexel’s “What is Hazing?” web page, the university defines hazing as “any number of things that create an unhealthy transition of new members into an organization.” It adds that, “It is less important to define or label an activity as hazing or not, than it is to remove ineffective and harmful elements from the new member or teammate processes.”
“We are all walking away from this experience with a renewed commitment to preventing hazing,” Wolf told the Triangle.
The Triangle was the first to share news of the suspension with the neighbors. They were shocked, as they have not seen any change in behavior.
According to one, the most recent incident with Phi Psi occurred after texting the brothers a request to lower their volume. He says “They yelled at me that I get no p—-. Then, threatened to fight me and called my wife [an expletive].”
“They apologized for this,” the neighbors acknowledged. “There were two students who would really try to manage the noise. They really tried their best.” They attributed the chaos to the “mob mentality that comes with living in a house of 12 kids.”
But even after the Greek letter flag comes down, the same people can reside in the same house beside the same neighbors, and Drexel’s ruling has done little to ease neighbors’ fears about the living conditions occurring a mere five feet from their window.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated evidence of hazing presented by neighbors did not garner a response from Drexel University police. In reality, police did treat the video as evidence, hence the report of hazing appearing in the crime log. Additionally, the outcome of the reported incident at Alpha Chi Rho was clarified.
Correction: A previous photo for this article prominently featured 3211 Baring Street. This was revised to more clearly depict 3209 Baring Street, the satellite Phi Kappa Psi house.