STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Two members of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at Penn State are facing criminal charges after an investigation uncovered allegations of intense physical and emotional abuse during a months-long hazing process.
According to Ferguson Township police, Jayson Archer, 20, the fraternity’s president, and Jacob Francis, 23, its dean of recruitment, are each charged with simple assault and two counts of hazing, including brutality of a physical and mental nature.
Court documents show the alleged hazing took place at the fraternity’s off-campus apartment along Farmstead Lane in Ferguson Township. Both men are accused of orchestrating a pattern of abuse between October and November 2024 at the fraternity’s off-campus apartment.
According to the criminal complaints, pledges were allegedly forced to perform daily military-style workouts, subjected to shouting drills, and beaten with paddles, fists, and other objects if they failed to meet expectations or answer fraternity questions correctly.
In the original complaint, it was reported that one of the victims wrote "This is not brotherhood it's abuse. We can't stay silent any longer. This has to stop please help us!"
On March 11, police spoke to a representative with the office of student accountability and conflict response about the incidents. The representative said they were going to meet with three potential recruits at the fraternity to help substantiate the claims made by the victim.
However, the representative told police that there could be "additional ghost members" and it was difficult to locate them as they're unofficial and unregistered.
One victim told police that pledge sessions included a ritual known as "lock-up,” where recruits were forced to stand silently in a corner for hours. If they failed to remain still or made noise, they were punished physically.
“I was hit with a paddle at least 20 times during one session,” one pledge said in a police interview. Another said he was punched and hit with paddles in the chest, arm and thigh and began “wearing extra pairs of pants to cushion the pain.”
Text messages cited in the complaint appear to show Archer and Francis coordinating and encouraging the abuse. In one message allegedly sent by Archer on Oct. 27, 2024, he told pledges, “Yoo, we’ll just start tomorrow! Make sure you guys are taking care of your body. And finish the daily workout routine today.”
Francis reportedly used the term “LLs,” shorthand for “Lambda,” to refer to pledges and told them in one exchange that “pain equals progress” and “blood will build your bond.” He allegedly emphasized that hazing was a “tradition that proves loyalty.”
The hazing took place repeatedly over the course of at least two months. During one of the final sessions, pledges said they were made to stand in a bathroom with the shower running hot, forced to sing the fraternity hymn, and told not to pass out or cry. Victims said they feared they would be expelled from the group if they resisted.
Archer and Francis were both identified by name by a victim and confirmed to be residents of the apartment. While another former member was reportedly present during some incidents, police said no charges have been filed against that individual at the time of this writing.
Neither Archer nor Francis made statements to police during the initial investigation, and it’s unclear if either has retained legal counsel. As of May 2, both defendants had not applied for a public defender, and neither had been fingerprinted, according to court records.
Archer’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 4 at 8:30 a.m., while Francis’ hearing is set for Aug. 4, both before Magisterial District Judge Casey McClain in Centre County.
According to the Penn State website, Phi Beta Sigma was listed on Penn State's Website as a part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. According to records the Fraternity members recorded a 1.93 chapter GPA in the 2024 fall semester.
WTAJ has reached out to the University Public Relations Senior Director Wyatt Dubois regarding the situation. He responded saying, "The University is aware of the serious allegations of hazing, and this chapter has been on an interim suspension since Mid-March. The individual students are restricted from campus except to complete their finals for the semester and then are restricted from campus and participating in all university programs activities beginning May 10."
Hazing in Pennsylvania is a misdemeanor under the state's Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law, which was passed following the 2017 death of a Penn State student during fraternity initiation at Beta Theta Pi.
