One Troy University fraternity will sit the rest of the semester out, so to speak, after some of its members vandalized another fraternity’s yard.

This comes after three members of Troy University’s Farmhouse threw plastic bottles late last week that exploded outside the home of Alpha Tau Omega brothers, said Dean of Student Services Herb Reeves.

“I’m not sure what all is in it,” Reeves said. “They made a plastic bottle with tinfoil and cleaning solution, and it causes the bottle to expand.”

Essentially, Reeves said the explosive bottle makes a loud sound comparable to a homemade bomb.

Since the bottles were thrown outside, Reeves said there was no damage. But, if they were thrown inside a structure or at a person, it could have been a different story.

“Fortunately in this case, they just sat it in the yard and it made a loud noise,” Reeves said.

Reeves said the fraternity members were caught by neighbors who called the police, and the university’s Interfraternity Council has taken action against the fraternity.

“The IFC took them out of Homecoming activities as part of their punishment,” said Joe Hutto, coordinator of student involvement. “We then put them on social probation and intramural probation for the rest of the semester.” Hutto said that means the fraternity will not be able to participate in any social functions, like date parties or formals, or play intramural sports.

“We pretty much took most all functions away from the chapter expect philanthropy and charity events,” Hutto said.

But, actions against the fraternity didn’t stop there.

Facutly advisor Ryan Spry said the three members, who were new to Farmhouse, were immediately terminated from the organization.

“Farmhouse does not condone that activity,” Spry said. “As soon as we found out about it, we terminated the new member’s memberships.”

Spry said the fraternity also called Alpha Tau Omega and offered to donate money to them for its philanthropy project this year.

“We will also be working with Habitat for Humanity to do a community service project, and the precedes we normally give to our philanthropy, we will split six ways and give a sixth to each of the sororities, as well,” Spry said.