Penn State's chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity has been suspended by both its international office and the university and may receive a disorderly conduct citation for its alleged role in actions captured in a YouTube video filmed on Saturday.
The State College Police Department is "well along in the investigation" of the events that happened at the rear of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, 417 E. Prospect Ave., this weekend, Lt. Dana Leonard said.
While the investigation continues, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity has been suspended by the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
The lead investigator in the case, Sgt. Keith Robb, said yesterday the fraternity would receive a disorderly conduct citation.
Details from the victim could determine what, if any, charges will be filed, Leonard said, adding that Robb has contacted the Ohio State victim and there is a "significant lead" in finding the aggressor. Charges could range from disorderly conduct to simple assault, he added.
The video shows a crowd of people, most clad in white Penn State T-shirts, shouting obscenities and throwing beer cans at two passing Ohio State fans.
One man chased the second of the Buckeyes fans and threw an open beverage at him in close range fueled with encouragement from the crowd.
The man seen in the video pursuing the Buckeyes fan is not a Penn State student, said Annemarie Mountz, a university spokeswoman. He is a University of Pittsburgh student who was visiting for the weekend, she added.
The Ohio State students in the video were in the fraternity's yard because they are members of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity's chapter at Ohio State, Mountz said. The Ohio fans attended a party at Pi Kappa Alpha on Friday night but were not welcomed back on Saturday, she added.
The YouTube video is only a lead to what happened on Saturday, Leonard said, and some questions still need to be answered before the investigation can be completed. Police still need to find out if there were more victims and the extent of injuries, he added.
The YouTube account name of the user who uploaded the video was "crazysacc," which is also the AOL Instant Messenger screen name of Pi Kappa Alpha Vice President Gaetano Sacco (junior-film).
By last night, all of the videos posted on YouTube by "crazysacc" had been removed, and the account was canceled.
Sacco would not comment. Pi Kappa Alpha President Brendan Wilson did not return calls for comment.
A statement released yesterday by Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity said the "international fraternity teaches its members that sportsmanship extends beyond the playing field. The actions of the individuals involved with this incident do not live up to that ideal."
The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety said yesterday that the victim had not contacted them. The University of Pittsburgh Police Department also had no information about the students involved.
Jim Lynch, the director of media relations at Ohio State, said fewer incidents were reported after Saturday's game than after the Penn State match-up with Ohio State in 2005.
"Many Big Ten schools have made sportsmanship a priority," Lynch said.
Ohio State's student newspaper, The Lantern, has posted a blog about the video, said Mary Dannemiller, the paper's metro editor. The paper's sports editor, Zack Timmons, is expected to write a column addressing the issue as well, she added.
Interfraternity Council (IFC) President Grant Miller (senior-English) said Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity has been "very willing" to have meetings about the incident.
"I wish there was a way we could take it back, but we can't," Miller said.
He said fraternities know they are responsible for anything that happens at their houses, even in this case when at least one student involved does not attend Penn State.
Miller added that IFC promotes the virtue of "being a gentleman."
"We apologize for the negative light that this has brought to Penn State fans," Miller said.
