NC State chancellor reacts to hazing at Sigma Nu fraternity: 'It's deplorable'

Jane Winik Sartwell, The News & Observer on Nov 12, 2026

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RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State University leaders gathered Thursday for Board of Trustees committee meetings — their first since police search warrants revealed evidence of horrific hazing at the school’s Sigma Nu fraternity. Fraternity brothers, according to search warrants, were being forced to eat one another’s vomit, put together puzzles in the pitch dark, interact with sex workers, huff nitrous oxide, snort cocaine and more.

NC State’s Sigma Nu chapter has been suspended by its national fraternity, and the on-campus frat house currently sits empty. A criminal investigation is underway, and fraternity brothers could face charges for the conduct that took place within, The N&O previously reported. The university’s oldest fraternity can’t return to campus for at least four years.

Chancellor Kevin Howell told The News & Observer that he finds the details in the search warrants “deplorable.” He said that the school does not tolerate hazing, and that ensuring student safety is of the utmost importance to him.

“There are some fraternities and sororities that follow our policies. We value that. We value what they learn about service projects,” Howell said. “What we don’t value are those bad actors that come in — if what is alleged is true.”

“I understand as a chancellor the responsibility that parents hold to myself and our whole university system,” he continued, “to make sure their children and our students can pursue an education without having to go through something like that.”

Howell also said that both the university and police investigations remain ongoing, and he doesn’t want to do or say anything to “mess up” those probes.

“I want to be clear with this,” Howell continued. “If anybody is found to be responsible for hazing, for violating the laws of the state of North Carolina, for violating our policies with student conduct, they will be held accountable.”

Many of the trustees — including student body president Knox Trask — deferred questions about the hazing incidents to Howell, who is supposed to address the events at Sigma Nu further on Friday at the full board meeting.

But three members of the board elected to speak briefly about the events with The News & Observer on Thursday morning.

Board member Erik Dixon, who works as an advisor to a rural networking company, said he isn’t yet well-informed enough to have an opinion on the Sigma Nu situation.

“I’m not sure what the real truth and data is, so I don’t really have a strong opinion right now,” Dixon said. “The chancellor is going to be addressing it, so I expect to hear more about it, but right now I can’t say I have a strong opinion about it honestly because I’m not sure what the underlying real data is.”

Board chair Ed Stack called the events “unfortunate,” and said that the school doesn’t “support hazing in any way.” He emphasized that the events do not reflect “who we are as a university.” As for what can be done to prevent hazing in the future and his evaluation of the university’s response so far, Stack deferred to the chancellor’s remarks Friday.

Board member Tim Humphrey, who also serves as a provost at Wake Tech, said he laments the events at Sigma Nu.

“I do this work because I love young people,” said Humphrey. “And I just don’t like seeing young people involved in anything negative. It’s an unfortunate situation, but it is what it is, and we’ll move on from there.”