UI Police: Suspect shielded fraternity pledges ‘blindfolded with food thrown on them’

IOWA CITY — A year-old University of Iowa fraternity is under investigation by the UI and has been suspended by its national chapter after a Riverdale man repeatedly stood between officers and witnesses as police last week encountered what appeared to be hazing of dozens of pledges, telling officers at one point, “You can (expletive) leave.”

Joseph Antonio Gaya, 21, was arrested on suspicion of interference with official acts, a simple misdemeanor, at 12:43 a.m. Friday after UI police were dispatched to a fire alarm at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity — where they found “56 fraternity pledges in the basement, blindfolded with food thrown on them,” according to an arrest report.

Gaya, according to police, stood in front of officers and blocked the doorway of the roomful of pledges, refusing to move. Later, when an officer was talking with two witnesses in a different room, Gaya appeared and stood between the witnesses and the officer, according to the report.

“The officer asked (Gaya) to step back so he could talk with the witnesses, and (Gaya) refused to move,” according to police. “The officer asked (Gaya) multiple times to step away from the conversation, and (Gaya) refused to and told the witnesses not to talk to the police.”

To the officer’s repeated requests he step away, Gaya said, “You can (expletive) leave, how about that?” according to police.

Even after witnesses told Gaya “they were fine,” Gaya persisted, police reported. Fraternity members eventually told him to leave the house — as he doesn’t live in the house and isn’t a UI student, according to university officials.

Upon learning of the allegations, the Minneapolis-based fraternity headquarters “immediately suspended the chapter and began a third-party investigation into the allegations.”

“The Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity is deeply disturbed by the recent hazing allegations involving our chapter at the University of Iowa,” according to a statement from the headquarters. “As a fraternity, we stand firmly against all forms of hazing. Our values are rooted in fostering respect, integrity, and responsibility in all aspects of life.”

In addition to the fraternity and police investigation, the UI Office of Student Accountability is investigating Alpha Delta Phi and also told it to suspend operations pending the outcome “due to the gravity of the allegations.”

House has history of hazing at UI

Although the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity was founded in 1832, its chapter at the UI was formed in 2023, according to its national headquarters. The same year, UI administrators investigated the new chapter for allegations of hazing but found it “not responsible.”

Alpha Delta Phi is located in the same house at 703 N. Dubuque St. that for years housed the UI chapter of Sigma Chi — which in 2022 was suspended by its international headquarters for “an indefinite period” due to “accountability issues within the chapter.”

In suspending its UI chapter, Sigma Chi didn’t spell out the allegations but said they related to “hazing within its preparation for brotherhood pledge and its members’ disregard for risk management policies.”

The UI Sigma Chi chapter had been in trouble with the university for years, since at least 2017, when a freshman member died from alcohol poisoning during an out-of-town event.

That event precipitated sweeping changes across the UI Greek System, including restrictions on when and how chapters could hold social events. The following year, UI administrators cracked down and suspended nearly a dozen fraternities for suspected violations of its new alcohol and events policies — including Sigma Chi, which persisted in its non-compliance until its eventual suspension.

The headquarters, in suspending the UI chapter two years ago, expressed an intention to at some point resurrect a UI Sigma Chi chapter — but said “we want to be certain that our next effort to establish a Sigma Chi presences at the university will create an environment that supports the character development of every man who ultimately joins the fraternity.”

Johnson County assessor records show the Sigma Chi fraternity still owns the 96-year-old Dubuque Street house — which today is home to Alpha Delta Phi.

Other investigations, sanctions

The university didn’t immediately respond to The Gazette’s questions about whether any of its other fraternities or sororities are under investigation right now. Administrators investigated 16 alleged incidents across the UI Greek system in the last academic year — including nine that resulted in sanctions.

The Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, for example, were sanctioned for alcohol and “failure to observe policies” violations related to a “frat wedding” that took place at the fraternity house.

A residence education staff member on Jan. 26 reported “women were preparing for their wedding,” according to an April memorandum on the incident. Upon closer inquiry, university officials learned a sorority member was going to be “married” to a fraternity member as part of an event meant to “build a better relationship with Gamma Phi Beta.”

Men in the fraternity had cans of beer and seltzer available, monitored by sober brothers, according to the memo.

“When Gamma Phi Beta was asked to attend the event and provide a bride, they did not expect the event to be considered a chapter event — as it was not discussed at chapter meetings,” the memo reported. “As the women did not realize that the wedding would be considered a chapter event, they did not register the event.”

Both chapters are serving out educational sanctions through the end of this year.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

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