Subscribe
Follow Us
Following the hazing death of Caleb Wilson, Southern University has expelled the Beta Sigma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated from the campus, per a report by WAFB. The university considers expulsion as the loss of all privileges and rights associated with recognition at Southern University. This requires the chapter to remove all identifiable markers from campus, including the fraternity plot, benches, trees, monuments, and other items.
Wilson died during an unsanctioned fraternity ritual in a Baton Rouge warehouse. The hazing ritual involved pledges being hit in the chest with a boxing glove at a warehouse on 3412 Woodcrest Drive, leased by Todd Smith, owner of California Hardwood Floors. According to sources, pledges were lined up during an unsanctioned fraternity ritual when each pledge was forced to take blows to the chest. The punches were said to symbolize the fraternity's “four cardinal principles”—manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift—according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Wilson reportedly fell to the ground after being punched in the chest and began having a seizure. He was dropped off at a nearby hospital, where he later died. After dropping Wilson off at the hospital, members of the fraternity allegedly met at an undisclosed location to discuss what had occurred and came up with the original story that Wilson collapsed in a park.
The Omega Psi Phi members delayed calling 911, opting to transport Wilson to the hospital later. The arrest affidavit cited an autopsy report noting a small bruise on the right side of Wilson's chest. After an investigation, Caleb McCray was arrested on manslaughter and felony hazing charges. Kyle Thurman and Isaiah Smith were also charged with felony hazing in connection with Wilson's death.
Wilson was a junior mechanical engineering major from Kenner, Louisiana. He was also a member of the university’s Human Jukebox marching band.
