Miss America Winner Kara Kazantsev Kicked Out Of Sorority For Hazing Gone Too Far?

Miss America 2015 winner Kira Kazantsev charmed many and made headlines when she performed a percussion number using plastic cups to Pharrell’s Happy for the talent portion of the competition. She also has an impressive resume, having graduated from Hofstra University as an honor student who triple majored in Political Science, Geography and Global science; and having taken a leadership position in an anti-domestic violence advocacy campaign called “Love Shouldn’t Hurt.” But a more sinister side to the beauty queen may be coming to light now, as reports have surfaced that in 2013, she was booted from college sorority Alpha Phi for engaging in abusive hazing rituals while in serving as Recruitment Committee President.

According to Jezebel, a source says that while Kazantsev held the sorority title, she made incoming pledges’ lives “a living hell.” Under her supervision, recruits were reportedly called names, taunted for perceived physical flaws and forced to perform extreme physical tasks to the point of bruising and exhaustion. The source says Kazantsev was reported to university officials, and after a months long investigation was expelled from the sorority and banned from attending any of it’s events. Hofstra, which has an unfortunate legacy of brutal hazing in their Greek life, now has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the practice.

Jezebel was not able to confirm these reports with the University due to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations, which prohibit universities from discussion disciplinary actions taken on students. But reporter Erin Gloria Ryan notes that when she called the university to ask about “a high-profile individual who was expelled from her sorority in late April 2013,” the representative she spoke with hinted, “Was this person, by chance, in Atlantic City last Sunday night (the location of the pageant)?” but could not divulge any further information.

Officials from the Miss America organization, meanwhile, were apparently aware of their winner’s past behavior, but don’t see it as an issue. Ryan reports they released a statement saying, “Kira has been fully transparent with the MissAmerica Organization about her termination from the Alpha Phi sorority. It’s unfortunate that this incident has been exploited to create a storyline that distracts from what we should be focusing on: Kira’s impressive academic achievements at Hofstra University, including earning a triple major from the Honors College and her commitment to serving her community.”

The statement goes on to say, “Kira is an exceptional ambassador for the MissAmerica Organization, and we are excited to be a part of her journey as a force for good across our nation, promoting education and service and working to empower young women.”

 

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Miss America
Kira Kazanstev
Hazing
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