Black Middle Tennessee State University Student Sues Fraternity For Racist Hazing During Pledging

A Black pledge for Kappa Sigma has taken legal action after facing emotional distress that forced him to leave the state.

A former student at Middle Tennessee State University filed a lawsuit on October 12, claiming that he encountered racist hazing during his “rush” process.

According to News19, the lawsuit was filed in a Nashville court and addresses incidents that date back to October 14, 2021 within the Kappa Iota chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at MTSU. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff, along with another Black pledge, was targeted with racial hazing by 10 white members from the Kappa Iota chapter.

According to the lawsuit, the acts of racial discrimination the Black pledges were subjected to include being called the N-word by white fraternity brothers and threats of kidnapping, hanging, bounding, and having things thrown at them. In addition, the plaintiff said that old slave chants and antebellum field hand music was played during their “rush’” process along with discussions of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

Alcohol abuse was also stated in the claims amongst other acts of hazing.

News19 reported that, according to the documents, one of the defendants in the lawsuit approached the Black pledges with demands to “respect our culture,” saying “you know what type of frat you joined,” during moments the Black pledges objected the treatment.

The lawsuit was filed seven months following the chapter’s expulsion from the MTSU campus. The university’s website states that the chapter violated the Kappa Sigma Fraternity Code of Conduct resulting in punishment by the National Kappa Sigma Office. The chapter’s misconduct reflected violations of “hazing, underage drinking and conduct unbecoming.”

“The Kappa Sigma Fraternity as a matter of policy does not comment on current or active litigation,” a representative of the fraternity stated after being contacted for a response to the lawsuit.

The plaintiff is requesting a $15 million compensation from the defendants.