Penn State fraternity suspended over nude Facebook photos

Published 8:13 am Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The a comment on a group of photos posted online in 2014 by members of Penn State’s chapter of the Kappa Delta Rho: “LOL delete those or we will be on CNN in a week.”

It actually took a year.

The fraternity was suspended for a year Tuesday after university officials were made aware of a police investigation into allegations that members maintained two invitation-only Facebook pages for the purpose of sharing illicit photos taken at the fraternity house of semi-nude women, some of who appeared to be passed out.

The first page was named “Covert Business Transactions.” Both pages have been shut down.

Police say a former member of the fraternity, who served as an informant in the case, provided “information on two victims whose images (that were posted to the pages] would rise to the level of criminal action.” 

According to a warrant obtained by the Associated Press, many of the photos posted to the site show women in “sexual or embarrassing positions.”

“It appears from the photos provided that the individuals in the photos are not aware that the photos had been taken,” the warrant reads. 

In a statement on the investigation, Damon Sims, Penn State’s vice president for student affairs, said that “the evidence offered by the Facebook postings is appalling, offensive and inconsistent with the University community’s values and expectations.”