Indiana University Sorority Investigated for Hazing

Indiana University Bloomington’s Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority was suspended last week pending an investigation into sex- and drug-related hazing.

Former Kappa Kappa Gamma Delta Chapter member Langdan Willoughby spoke to the Indiana University’s Daily Student in an interview published last Thursday, describing a hazing event called “blow or blow,” in which sorority members in lingerie allegedly forced pledges to choose between doing cocaine or performing oral sex before revealing it was a joke.

“I was fully physically, emotionally and spiritually disturbed by the entire thing,” Willoughby said. She recalled being struck with a wooden paddle by one of the sisters, while others passed out rubber bands for them to put their hair up. They were then told to “get on [their] knees,” because members of local fraternity Pi Kappa Phi were on their way to participate in the game.

Willoughby later left the sorority, citing both the hazing and unspecified instances of racism as the reasons for her exit. “There’s no real sisterhood,” Willoughby told the Daily Student. “With all of the sexual harassment that goes on at IU’s campus, I don’t see why Kappa would subject another woman to that.”

Other sources described similar harassment and mistreatment by members of Kappa Kappa Gamma’s Delta chapter — the oldest continuous chapter of the sorority, originally founded in 1872. One young woman claimed she was among pledges in 2017 who were told they would be forced to run naked into the forest, while another recounted an event in 2019 dubbed “The Screaming.”

Prospective members were allegedly taken into the basement and forced to stand facing the wall for some time while “the screamer” berated them in front of members in lingerie and high heels. “You’re sluts and you’re going to ruin Kappa’s reputation!” the screamer yelled at them, she remembered. “No frats are going to like us!”

All those who shared their accounts said they were “intimidated by Kappa Kappa Gamma to maintain silence about these events,” but Willoughby said she had finally “grown past the fear that they tried to instill.”

As of the time of this writing, 11 fraternities and sororities at Indiana University Bloomington are on some form of suspension, most for hazing-related activities.