The Beta Theta chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, whose house is located at 17 South Ave., has had its university recognition suspended temporarily, pending further investigation, Cornell University officials announced Friday, Jan. 22.

The temporary suspension stems from an alleged incident at the fraternity house involving underage drinking that resulted in the hospitalization of three students. Authorities suspect hazing may also have occurred. The students were treated at Cayuga Medical Center early Friday morning and released. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Ithaca Police Department, with the assistance of Cornell University Police, and by the university.

Consistent with the university's recognition policy, the Pi Kappa Alpha chapter, a private organization whose house is not on university property, has been instructed to desist all activities, including and not limited to recruitment, initiation and social events. And Cornell has notified the fraternity's international headquarters, which has administratively suspended the chapter's charter until they conclude their own independent investigation.

"We are concerned about the health and welfare of our students, and we take reports like this very seriously," said Susan Murphy, Cornell's vice president for student and academic services. "Cornell is committed to helping educate students on making wise choices about alcohol consumption and avoiding risky behavior. We also are committed to eliminating hazing practices within student organizations and we've incorporated that into university policy, while providing information and educational resources on responsible behavior to our campus community."

A Web site, http://hazing.cornell.edu, is where users can learn about hazing at Cornell, report hazing incidents, explore non-hazing group-building activities, and find out what they can do to prevent hazing. Information for students about stemming the abuse of alcohol and other drugs is available at: http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/top10Topics/alcohol-tobacco-drugs.