Eastern Illinois Confirms Hazing By Swim Team, Sets Path to Reinstatement
Eastern Illinois University has found that the men’s swimming program did violate the school’s hazing policy. The program was suspended in September while an investigation was conducted and will be reinstated immediately, with competition to resume in January.
The university report released this week said coach Jonathan Jordan made the initial report and cooperated with the investigation. The report found he had no prior knowledge of the hazing.
The hazing included team “traditions” that included getting underage athletes to consume excessive amounts of alcohol, which required medical intervention for one freshman, and creating PowerPoint presentations that included, “inappropriate, harmful, distasteful, and often sexual topics.”
Before resuming competition, the program has to complete anti-hazing and alcohol abuse workshops, training that will be extended to other teams at EIU. The school’s department of athletics didn’t cite discipline against any specific people, only that it would determine who would remain on the team’s roster for the 2023-24 season.
“EIU has a zero-tolerance approach to hazing in all of its forms,” the school said in a statement. “The Dean of Students oversees student-standards-related discipline. Intercollegiate Athletics is responsible for determining the official roster for the remaining 2023-2024 season. As student disciplinary actions are confidential and protected under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the University cannot comment further.”