The self-proclaimed "oldest local fraternity in the country" will permanently lose its recognition from Wilmington College stemming from a Halloween hazing incident.

According to the Dayton Daily News, a Gamma Phi Gamma pledge was participating in a ceremony when he was struck in the testicle with a towel "fashioned as a weapon." He was taken to the hospital and later needed surgery to remove the testicle.

The school's website says Gamma Phi Gamma was "established by four gentlemen in 1907." Since it has no chapter affiliates and only exists at Wilmington, it is by definition a "local fraternity."

Court records show, on Oct. 30, pledges were forced to strip naked at the fraternity's off-campus house, the DDN reported. They were then covered in an Icy-Hot-like substance and told to make sexually explicit motions while being whipped with towels. Some of the towels were tied into a knot at the end and some had items attached to inflict more pain.

Wilmington spokesman Randy Sarvis said the recent decision to permanently ban the fraternity was an appeal that upheld a judicial board ruling. Gamma Phi Gamma may appeal to Wilmington president Jim Reynolds, who had previously referred to the incident as "disgusting and despicable."

Reynolds said he has yet to see an appeal to his office and the fraternity representatives did not respond for comment.

"This is really incongruent with our values what happened that night," Reynolds told the DDN. "It's still an incident that I think has taken a toll on the campus. I think we're all trying to understand better why something like this happened on our campus."

Hazing is a national issue several college campuses are facing and this incident has brought negative attention to Wilmington's campus. Reynolds said the school will work to move past the incident once all judicial options are exercised.

"It's not just punishment, but it's also the aftermath of that punishment and how do you heal together as a community," he said. "And that's a really important thing for us as we go forward this semester."

Police said a criminal investigation is still underway, but did not tell the DDN if any charges are expected to be filed.

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