The women's swimming team at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington will be removed from probation while school officials reconsider allegations of hazing by upperclassmen.

Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo has decided to reconsider that punishment following a meeting with parents of swimmers last week, according to the parents and school officials.

When the allegations and punishment were announced last month, DePaolo was adamant in her defense of Dean of Students Terrence Curran, who conducted the initial investigation.

The new investigation will be performed by Paul Hosier, the provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, and will include statements from the entire team. The results will be turned over to DePaolo, who will decide what -- if any -- punishment is needed.

The investigation stems from allegations that in early April upperclassmen made regular trips to a university dormitory to select unusual clothes for the freshmen to wear to class.

The freshmen later had their faces painted and participated in various activities, including a scavenger hunt in downtown Wilmington and running through an automatic car wash near campus. Team members then allegedly went to an upperclassman's off-campus residence and drank alcohol.

Following the first investigation, DePaolo placed the program on probation for the 2004-05 academic year. Upperclassmen would not be allowed to participate in road meets during the first semester.

"My job is to protect our students and our campus and ensure safety as much as possible," DePaolo said in July. "And this was hazing. Our policy is against hazing; we have zero tolerance for it. This was a case of it."

Some people close to the program have argued the punishment was too severe for a program that had never been investigated or placed on probation during its 27-year history.

Parents, swim team boosters and some of the schools financial supporters also contended that the investigation was not properly conducted. They said many team members weren't asked to present their case.

DePaolo "said they are not entitled to due process because being on the team is a privilege," said Cabell Longan, parent of junior swimmer Molly Longan. "But they are trying to rectify that situation."

Swimming coach Dave Allen also said that any punishment meted out should fit the crime.

"I did not feel that the ladies had due process in the first go around," Allen said Tuesday. "Now they're going to have that opportunity, and I think that's important."

Hosier said he expects to have the investigation wrapped up within a week.