Hazing at Texas Universities: A Complete Guide for Rankin Families

Your Child Was Hurt at a Fraternity—What Now, Rankin?

You send your child off to Texas A&M, UT, or a university hours from Rankin with pride and hope. You trust they’ll be safe, make friends, and build a future. The phone call you never wanted comes late at night or early in the morning. Your child’s voice is weak, scared, or doesn’t make sense. They’re hurt. They’re talking about “traditions,” “pledge events,” and “big brother nights.” You hear words like “rushed to the hospital” and “forced to drink.” In an instant, your world narrows to one question: What happened to my child, and who is responsible?

For families right here in Rankin and across Upton County, this nightmare became stark reality in late 2025. A University of Houston student named Leonel Bermudez suffered catastrophic injuries—rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure—after enduring months of brutal hazing as a pledge of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s Beta Nu chapter. His “initiation” involved being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” forced consumption of milk and hot dogs until vomiting, and extreme physical workouts culminating in 100+ push-ups and 500 squats. He was hospitalized for four days, his urine turned brown from muscle breakdown, and he now faces the risk of permanent kidney damage.

This isn’t a story from somewhere else. This is happening right now in Texas, and Attorney911—Ralph Manginello and Mr. Lupe Peña—represents Bermudez in his $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters, and 13 individual fraternity leaders. If hazing can cause this level of harm at a major state university, it can happen to any student—