WASHINGTON (AP) – Two Howard University students and their mothers have sued the school and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority after the students were denied membership.

The Washington Examiner (http://bit.ly/Zi7cUM ) reports the lawsuit filed last week alleges Laurin Compton and Lauren Cofield were discriminated against because of their status as daughters of dues-paying sorority members.

The students say they attended recruitment events as freshmen in 2009. But to join before they were eligible as sophomores, they had to undergo hazing. They say they were “mentally tormented” and ostracized when one mother complained.

The suit says the sorority was suspended for hazing, preventing new members from joining. They were later denied membership.

In court, the sorority says it chose younger students for the priority membership process for daughters of members.

The school declined to comment. — Information from: The Washington Examiner, http://www.washingtonexaminer.com

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