Two students at Texas A&M University are suing the school’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter over an alleged incident that landed them in the hospital with severe burns.
Patrick Close and Jose Figueroa alleged that while pledging the fraternity as freshmen during the spring semester, members hazed them and dumped numerous substances on their bodies, including an “industrial strength cleanser known as SC-200,” according to the lawsuit filed in Harris County District Court.
“Close and Figueroa experienced serious bodily injuries including severe burns as a result of the SC-200. … It can corrode metal and causes severe skin burns,” the lawsuit said.
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Following the supposed incident, the two students were rushed to the hospital, where they underwent multiple skin graft surgeries, the suit read.
The alleged hazing event has caused both students to be “permanently disfigured,” according to the suit.
The members of the SAE chapter failed to report the incident to university officials, Close and Figueroa claimed.
The case is awaiting a jury trial, according to a report.
The chapter was suspended for two years on Wednesday, and it will then serve a two-year probationary period, university spokeswoman Kelly Brown said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.
“Texas A&M will not tolerate actions or behavior that degrades, intimidates, humiliates or endangers students,” Brown said.
The university will continue to employ hazing prevention programs and instruct its community on the consequences of hazing, she continued.
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“Hazing is a violation of Texas A&M’s Student Code of Conduct, student organization policies and Texas state law,” she said.
