Another USC fraternity suspended

The Sigma Chi fraternity at the University of South Carolina has been suspended temporarily, becoming the fifth chapter closed or suspended since fall 2014.

“The university has been informed by the Sigma Chi national office that the USC chapter has been temporarily suspended,” USC spokesman Wes Hickman said in a statement released to The State on Sunday. “We fully support this move and will continue to work with the national organization going forward. We continue to investigate the nature of the incident that led to this temporary suspension.”

The reason for the suspension was not been released.

Sigma Chi’s suspension reduces the number of USC fraternities with clean records over the past five years.

At the beginning of the school year, just four of the university’s 15 largest fraternities — including Sigma Chi, Theta Chi and Phi Kappa Sigma — had not been cited for violations since 2011, school records show.

Phi Kappa Sigma was placed on probation for a year for hazing in February, while Theta Chi received a year’s probation for an alcohol violation in October, according a USC list of organization sanctions.

Six USC fraternity chapters had been suspended, closed or cited for alcohol, drug and hazing violations during the current school year — one more than the previous year’s total.

This story was originally published March 27, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Another USC fraternity suspended."