Miss America Kira Kazantsev kicked out of sorority for hazing
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Miss America Kira Kazantsev was kicked out of her Long Island college sorority after a hazing scandal, she admitted on "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning.
“Under the broad definition of hazing, yes, I was involved,” she said. “At the time, unfortunately, that was just the culture of the university, and I was hazed, and I was kind of brought up through the organization thinking that is appropriate behavior...”
The newly crowned pageant queen, whose platform in the competition was anti-domestic abuse, was kicked out of Hofstra University's Alpha Phi sorority last year after she sent an email ahead of an event to members of her sorority that she said was misinterpreted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In the email I made a joke that was taken out of context and forwarded,” she said.
So what was the joke? “That we would make the evening scary for the pledges."
She described the hazing pledges were put through, explaining they were made to do "menial tasks."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It included something like you would stand in a line and basically like recite information or a few sleepless nights crafting," she said.
A report on Monday claimed that pledges were called names, criticized over their appearance and made to perform physically difficult tasks to the point of exhaustion.
"Kira has been fully transparent with the Miss America Organization about her termination from the Alpha Phi sorority," a Miss America Organization spokesperson told FOX411. "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. Kira is an exceptional ambassador for the Miss America 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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The trilingual New Yorker maintained a 3.6 GPA and triple majored in political science, geography and global studies at the Long Island school.
The executive director of Alpha Phi Linda Kahangi told FOX411 the organization's privacy policy prohibits the sisterhood from commenting on "details related to membership status changes."
"Alpha Phi is, and always has been, a values based organization that has no tolerance for hazing in any form," Kahangi wrote in an email. "The Theta Mu chapter of Alpha Phi at Hofstra is no exception; they have shown responsibility in addressing inappropriate behavior by individual members to ensure a positive chapter culture."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This isn't the first scandal for the new Miss America. She sparked controversy when it was revealed that she once participated in a three month internship for Planned Parenthood.
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