When a student came to class exhausted and wasn’t acting like his normal self, a professor noticed and asked, “Why are you looking like this?”

“I’m pledging,” he answered.

The professor suspected that the student might have been hazed and alerted Larry Bolles, director of the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct, who began to investigate.

Bolles said one individual hazed a student pledging for the fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) and “minor things” happened to other students during the pledging process. Bolles wouldn’t elaborate further on specifics of the hazing that occurred Oct. 31 because he said Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents him from giving out any information that would identify a specific person. According to ED.gov, FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

Thomas McAninch, director of communication at TKE National Headquarters, said a call came into the headquarters’ Hazing Hotline on Nov. 3. McAninch would not comment on what the anonymous caller said or specifics of the hazing because McAninch said the national headquarters is still investigating the “alleged incident.”

Bolles, on the other hand, said he met with TKE representatives from the national headquarters. After comparing notes, they decided together that the incident should be considered hazing.

McAninch said the TKE National Headquarters’ investigation is a process similar to the judicial system. The headquarters conducted interviews with TKE members and is working with NIU to “separate fact from fiction.” Once the internal investigation is completed, the case will be referred to the TKE Fraternity Grand Court who will decide whether the chapter is guilty or innocent. If the chapter is found guilty of hazing, the court decides what should be done to rectify the issue, McAninch said.

If the “alleged incident” occurred, McAninch said, educational outcomes like community service, hazing prevention education or others sanctions focusing on education could result.

Bolles said four incidences of hazing, primarily involving sororities and fraternities, have occurred this semester.

Hazing in fraternities and sororities is defined as any action members take that is outside of their organizations’ national guidelines, Bolles said. Screaming at inductees, making them wash older members’ cars and playing games to make them feel uncomfortable are all examples of hazing, Bolles said.

Bolles said he appreciates the honesty of TKE members and respects them for coming to his office to tell him exactly what happened.

“I’m a member of a Greek letter organization and so I understand that life,” Bolles said. “I was very impressed with how they worked with me on resolving this issue. [TKE] is a good organization that just made a mistake.”

The fraternity’s president, Jeff Paris, was contacted but did not respond as of press time.