Members of two Ithaca College varsity sports teams are currently under investigation for possible hazing activities.

Brian McAree, vice president of Student Affairs and Campus Life, confirmed Tuesday that an investigation by the college is under way, after photographs of current members of the men’s wrestling and women’s gymnastics squads were posted on a public Web site and were brought to the attention of college officials by a reporter from The Syracuse Post-Standard on Sept. 12.

The photographs were taken at a party or parties in fall 2004 and depict women licking whipped cream off men’s chests, men drinking shots off women and other activities involving drinking.

On Monday, six of the photographs were also posted on NCAAHazing.com, a Web site advocating for the national governing body of college athletics to adopt a policy on hazing, which it currently does not have. The selected photographs on NCAAHazing.com were censored with black bars on the faces of the participants to conceal their identities.

Current student-athletes were identified by head coaches late last week in the original uncensored photos posted on Jan. 25, 2005, on a Webshots.com album titled “ICW & ICG Party and Initiation.”

The student-athletes are being interviewed by athletic administrators to determine whether the college’s Student Conduct Code or the Student-Athlete Code of Ethics were violated.

Penalties for violating the conduct code range from written warning to probation, suspension or expulsion, while penalties for violating the athlete code of ethics range from probation to loss of playing time or suspension from a team, McAree said.

McAree said former student-athletes have not been interviewed and not all of the individuals identified in the photographs were members of athletic teams.

“If there’s violations of the Student Conduct Code, any of the individuals who are responsible for violating the conduct code will be processed through our judicial system,” McAree said.

To be considered under the jurisdiction of the conduct code, violations must have taken place either on campus or at a campus-sponsored event.

McAree said the current investigation is trying to determine where the parties were held and what happened at them. Under the athletics code of ethics, location of violations does not matter.

“If you look at a photo ... you know that a party is taking place, in many of the photos you know that drinking is taking place, but one of the things we’re trying to determine is are there violations of our conduct code and also our athletic rules and regulations?” McAree said.

Ken Kutler, director of intercollegiate athletics, and Michael Lindberg, associate director of intercollegiate athletics and the college’s NCAA compliance officer, declined to comment and directed all questions about the investigation to McAree.

Rick Suddaby, head coach of the women’s gymnastics team, said he would not comment on the on-going investigation and Marty Nichols, head coach of the men’s wrestling team, could not be reached for comment.

William Schut, a spokesperson for NCAAHazing.com and a former NCAA compliance officer at SUNY-Albany, said the goal of the Web site is to get the NCAA to form a policy on hazing.

“Our goal is not to embarrass students,” Schut said. “Our goal is to get the school to investigate the issue and get the NCAA to act on it.”

McAree said he does not know when the investigation involving the women’s gymnastics and men’s wrestling teams will conclude.

“We’re being very timely in our investigation right now, but we want to be very thorough as well before we reach a conclusion,” McAree said. “We are on it and giving this our full attention.”

Last spring, the cheerleading club was suspended after spring break until the end of the academic year, including the national competition, following violations of the athletic code of ethics at an off-campus party earlier in the year.

McAree said these types of situations provide the college an opportunity to re-examine its educational programs for student-athletes.

“Every fall, every winter and every spring semester, the athletic staff educates all of our student athletes, related the rules and regulations, and hazing is always covered in those educational sessions with our athletes,” McAree said.

The following passage is taken directly from the Ithaca College Student Handbook. The section pertaining to athletes defines what constitutes as hazing in relation to athletic teams.

7.6.3.1.3 Hazing

Hazing, defined as subjecting a person to treatment intended to put him/her in a humiliating or disconcerting position, is prohibited and is cause for disciplinary action. The forced consumption of alcohol, drugs or any other liquid, gaseous or solid substance for the purpose of initiation into or affiliation with any organization on the College-owned or -operated property or at College-sponsored activities is prohibited and is cause for disciplinary action.

Any action or situation involving verbal, mental, or physical assault and/or abuse, including harassment, intimidation, or other conduct that recklessly or intentionally endangers or threatens the health, safety or welfare of any person on College-owned or -leased property or at College-sponsored events is prohibited and is cause for disciplinary action. This provision includes bias-based acts that violate another person's rights as described under section 7.1.2.2.1, "Freedom from Discrimination."