University of Iowa fraternity under investigation after blindfolded pledges found in basement

IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa on Friday placed a chapter on interim suspension after law enforcement discovered “several dozen pledges blindfolded in the basement.”

One person has been arrested and charged with interference with official acts after UI police, Iowa City police, and the Iowa City Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house early Friday and discovered the possible hazing, according to a UI news release.

The UI Office of Student Accountability told the president of the local chapter — based at 703 N. Dubuque St. — to suspend all operations pending the outcome of its investigation “due to the gravity of the allegations.”

The fraternity’s national chapter also suspended the UI group’s charter until further notice, according to the university.

The arrested individual — who the university did not name — was not a student and did not live at the house, UI officials said.

The police investigation is ongoing and is separate from the Office of Student Accountability investigation.

“The university took immediate action,” according to its news release. “The university is committed to protecting the health and safety of its students and will address any behavior that puts student safety at risk.”

The UI release did not provide additional details but reinforced its prohibitions against hazing, drugs and alcohol, and other forms of misconduct.

“The university requires fraternities to undergo training on a range of topics, including alcohol use, violence prevention and leadership development,” according to the university. “Compliance with those education requirements is not only tracked by Fraternity and Sorority Life staff members each semester, but also made publicly available on the FSL scorecard.”

Alpha Delta Phi’s scorecard indicates it has 20 new members and 93 total members, 78 percent of whom engaged in alcohol education and 89 percent of whom engaged in violence prevention education.

The new member average GPA is 3.197, and the group was last investigated for hazing in March 2023. At that time, the fraternity was found “not responsible,” according to a UI report. Before that, the fraternity had not been investigated or sanctioned going back at least to 2017.

The university in the spring 2024 semester sanctioned six fraternities for a range of violations, including hazing, alcohol, and other misconduct.

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com