Two Swarthmore College Fraternities Disband After Leak Documents Expose Culture Of Hazing, Rape, Racism

Two fraternity chapters from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania have been disbanded after the leak of documents that highlight their behavior.

The documents were originally leaked in April by the Phoenix, which serves as Swarthmore College’s independent school paper. The files in the leak exposed the school’s Phi Psi fraternity chapter for its culture of hazing, misogyny, racism and homophobic behavior.

One of the biggest files leaked was a 117-page “Excerpts from Phi Psi Historical Archives” that detailed life at the fraternity, which included the hazing practices. It was also filled with jokes and stories around heavy drinking, racism and a culture of possible rape.

An example of this is under a section titled “Party Haps” and explained that the “roofs” were gone “but good looks because we found the Rohypnol.”

The documents also exposed another fraternity, Delta Upsilon, for what is referred to in the files as its "rape tunnel" and "rape attic." Delta Upsilon, however, said it was unaware of former members using those terms to describe parts of the fraternity house.

In response to the leaks, students began staging sit-ins at the Phi Psi house, demanding both fraternities be dissolved. The protestors also asked that the houses go to groups fraternities have historically marginalized, including LGBTQ students, students of color and disabled students.

Both fraternities announced the disbandment of the Swarthmore chapters Tuesday night on their respective Facebook pages.

Swarthmore President Valerie Smith has also suspended fraternity activities until an investigation is completed to see if any current students were also involved in the activities detailed in the leak.