10 Tulane frat members charged with hazing

NEW ORLEANS, May 8 (UPI) -- Ten members of a fraternity at Tulane University in New Orleans have been charged with assaulting pledges at a "Hell Night" ritual.

Investigators said the pledges to Pi Kappa Alpha were treated for second- and third-degree burns, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. They were allegedly coated with cayenne peppers, crab boil, wasabi sauce and vinegar, all of it made into a paste with flour, and that hot water was poured on them.

The victims said they went through a five-hour ordeal, with at least one trying to leave. Their alleged assailants have been charged with second-degree battery.

The national organization has revoked the charter of the Tulane chapter. But the university said the students will remain enrolled until their legal cases are resolved.

The Tulane chapter has a history of outrageous conduct, much of it centered around "Saturate," an annual party featuring heavy drinking. In 2006, the undergraduate student government organization filed a complaint with the administration alleging physical injuries at the party and allegations that female students had been drugged and sexually assaulted.