Members of the University community are still reacting to what is the worst-known case of hazing on campus since 1999, three days after the University publicly announced that a Sigma Chi fraternity member was hospitalized for severe dehydration and kidney failure.

According to University officials, the hazing that occurred at Sigma Chi Fraternity included depriving their eight-member pledge class of food and water and forcing them to do exercises for an extended period of time. A Kinesiology junior subjected to the hazing was hospitalized Sept. 14 for muscle breakdown and acute renal failure. The student was released from the hospital Sept. 19.

The Ann Arbor Police Department began investigating the allegations Tuesday night, after the University's Department of Public Safety informed it of the incident.

AAPD Sgt. Angela Abrams said the investigation has just begun and it is unknown what types of criminal charges, if any, could be filed against fraternity members.

"We really don't have anything besides the initial complaint ... that is all I can tell you right now," she said, adding that she does not know how long such an investigation may take.

Dick Soble, the family's attorney, said the student is still recovering. He would not say if the student is currently attending classes. "He is still getting medical treatment and is beginning to recover a bit," Soble said. "This is all the family wants to share at the moment - their main concern is getting their son better."

He added that the family has not mentioned taking any form of legal action against the fraternity or its members. "That is not a discussion that I have had with them yet," he said.

President Mary Sue Coleman said the University is taking a strong stance against the fraternity in order to deter future hazing incidents.

"It is just inconceivable to me that people would have wanted to do that to another person, I don't understand," she said. She added that whether alcohol or any under-aged drinking was involved is not the issue at hand.

"I don't see any evidence that alcohol was involved, and it does not matter if alcohol was involved or not. This was a terribly, terribly dangerous circumstance to put these young men through," Coleman said. "We need to make absolutely sure that everybody understands that kind of behavior isn't going to be tolerated."

The last time such a serious hazing incident occurred on campus was in 1999, when the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity was suspended for hazing. In that incident, a member of the fraternity had fired an air rifle, which the member had thought was empty, at a member of the pledge class. The pledge member received injuries to his groin area.

In 2000, as a result of that incident, the IFC started the Hazing Task Force to act as an internal investigative unit that responds to hazing allegations.

The Hazing Task Force is currently a 12-member panel composed members of the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association and National Pan-Hellenic Association.

When a complaint is submitted to the task force, either through e-mail or over the phone, it is sent directly to the task force chair, who then forwards it along anonymously to other members of the committee in order to protect the complainant's identity, task force chair Bridgett Mamola said.

The role of the task force is then to investigate the accusation and determine if enough evidence is present to take the case to the Greek Activities Review Panel. That panel determines the guilt or innocence of the accused fraternity and passes out any necessary sanctions.

"We do not pass any judgment on whether or not there has been any hazing. We just collect information. We are a reactionary body, not a judicial one," Mamola said.

Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper praised the task force in its role of deterring and investigating hazing incidents on campus.

"I certainly think that it reflects the values of the IFC. They have taken a strong position against hazing," Harper said. "They want to get it out of their organization, and I commend them for that."

But Muhl said the 12-member task force has had some difficulty in deterring hazing.

"It's proven to be very effective in the past," he said. "The biggest problem with the committee is that most of the time, the students aren't willing to tell the committee certain information that it needs in order to proceed.

They don't want an investigation to occur, they just want the complaint on the record."

Social pressures from other members of the fraternity, as well as fear of retribution or of being disliked may play a role in why a student would not want an investigation, Muhl added.