NEW BRUNSWICK — A Rutgers University fraternity that has been banned from campus was accused of spiking drinks with Xanax at a party with members of a sorority, according to the campus newspaper.

The Sigma Chi fraternity was banned from the New Brunswick campus by the school from November to 2020 for unspecified "policy violations" stemming from an incident at the start of the school year, the university said in a statement.

No other details were released by the university, which later issued a new statement adding that the "suspension is unrelated to allegations that Sigma Chi members spiked punch with Xanax during a party in September 2017."

The university's investigation into this allegation were revealed by The Daily Targum.

"The university’s student conduct and police investigations found no evidence to support those allegations," the university said.

Rutgers University
Rutgers University (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
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"Due to student privacy laws, the university is not able to comment on any additional aspects of the student conduct investigation," the school added.

The university investigated the party incident by reviewing video footage, text messages and witnesses interviews, according to documents obtained via an Open Public Records Act request by The Daily Targum.

The documents show that members of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority were invited to a mixer with Sigma Chi in September.  After the party, about 10 members of the sorority complained that a juice served from an orange athletic container tasted "funny" and "chalky" and made them feel sick.

Several members blacked out and one member had problems with her prescription medication, according to the report.

Xanax is the most common drugs used in date rape cases, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Women's Health. It is administered by being put in a drink and can make one feel weak and confused.

The documents also revealed that Sigma Chi threatened members of Sigma Delta Tau after learning they were talking to university officials via text messages and social media.

Rutgers has not yet provided a copy of the documents to New Jersey 101.5.

It was not clear Friday whether law enforcement investigated or whether any students faced discipline.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated with a new statement from Rutgers University clarifying that the fraternity suspension was not related to the drugging allegations.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or viaTwitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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