Indiana Fraternity Closed After Video Allegedly Depicting Forced Oral Sex Surfaces (UPDATE)

The Alpha Tau Omega chapter at Indiana University was suspended after a video depicting a hazing ceremony hit Twitter.

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Complex Original

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UPDATE 2:38 p.m.:

Indiana University’s Alpha Tau Omega fraternity has now been officially closed, according to the Indiana Daily Student:

According to the statement, the investigation conducted by the national fraternity found that the sexual act performed in the video was done by an initiated member of Alpha Tau Omega, not a pledge, and that about half of the chapter’s members were present.

As even a cursory googling will attest, this is far from the first offense perpetrated by the fraternity. None of the impacted students have spoken out regarding this latest incident, in either objection or support, though the national ATO spokesperson quickly condemned the acts depicted in the footage as not indicative of the group's values.

See original story below.

Just in case you needed any further proof as to fraternities' reigning status as the absolute worst, the latest frat-spurred controversy should certainly do the trick. A fraternity at Indiana University has been suspended following sexual misconduct allegations stemming from what school officials have deemed a "highly offensive" video, triggering an internal investigation of the chapter's hazing practices.

The video in question, which appears to have originated from the handle @ATOVideo, was widely shared on Twitter on Wednesday and alleges to show a pledge being forced to "eat out a stripper." Though just 29 seconds in length, the video clip appears to depict a group of more than a dozen naked male pledges watching another male pedge perform oral sex on a woman on a bare mattress. You can watch the clip here (Warning: graphic content).

"The video is highly offensive and is antithetical to the values of Alpha Tau Omega," Wynn Smiley, CEO of the national chapter of ATO, said in a statement obtained by IndyStar. "If confirmed, the men who were a part of such an outlandish incident do not represent the fraternity and damage the fraternity's name for thousands of other ATO undergraduates and alumni across the country."

Sadly, we know how these things go. Frat enthusiasts will come out in droves to deliver variations on the predictable "...but it's not indicative of all fraternities!" and/or "...but it's a one-time incident!" methods of defense, once again ignoring that a culture that spawns these acts with such frequency most likely encourages them on some level.

Need more reasons not to join or otherwise support a fraternity? We have 10 of them right here.

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