Sumayyah Borders

May 16, 2023

Hazing is any activity that abuses, humiliates, or degrades someone seeking to join or participate in a group. Typically, the act occurs in a group context and happens regardless of the person’s willingness to participate. The spectrum of hazing behaviors ranges from intimidation to harassment to violence, including but not limited to social isolation, verbal abuse, and physical and sexual assault [1]. These acts can easily become dangerous and even deadly. Since 2000, at least 100 hazing-related deaths have occurred in the U.S. While commonplace in the military, secondary schools, and workplaces, hazing incidents are most closely associated with Greek-letter student organizations at colleges and universities, particularly social fraternities.

College hazing emerged in the early 1800s as a way for sophomores to harass freshmen students. Today, the practice is an extreme initiation process primarily used by fraternities to “test” incoming members. Individuals must prove that they belong to the group by submitting to stressful and humiliating acts. [2] This period of rough initiation is commonly referred to as “hell week.” To clarify, not all Greek life organizations partake in extreme initiations. In fact, many fraternities and sororities have bans on certain practices for being too dangerous. However, the amount of deadly hazing incidents is enough to raise concerns about Greek life on college campuses. A common form of hazing involves the forced consumption of drugs or alcohol. A 2007 study conducted by researchers at the University of Rhode Island found that fraternity members are more likely to drink heavily and abuse alcohol than their non-fraternity peers. This statistic very much manifests itself in fraternity hazing rituals. [3]

Take, for example, the story of Timothy Piazza. In 2017, Timothy, a 19-year-old sophomore at Pennsylvania State University, died of injuries suffered during initiation night for the university’s Beta Theta Pi fraternity chapter. That night, the brothers forced him to consume at least 18 drinks in 82 minutes. Timothy then fell head-first down a flight of stairs and was subsequently beaten by four brothers, leaving him on the floor in the fraternity’s basement. By the time someone called 911, Timothy had already suffered traumatic injuries to his brain and spleen. He was pronounced dead the following morning.

Eighteen of the brothers had charges filed against them in May that year; however, some of the more severe charges, including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and simple assault were dropped by Centre County Magisterial District Judge Allen Sinclair. In November, the FBI recovered deleted video footage of the fraternity’s basement, resulting in charges against nine new individuals and additional charges to previously charged individuals. Of the 25 fraternity brothers who were charged, only three were given jail sentences, all of which were amended to house arrest. [4]

Unfortunately, Timothy Piazza is just one of the many victims subjected to fraternity misconduct. In October 2016, Sigma Nu pledge Ryan Abele died in a hazing incident at the University of Nevada, Reno. And about a year later, Maxwell Gruver, a freshman at Louisiana State University, died during a hazing ritual while pledging for Phi Delta Theta. [5] Even when these rituals do not result in death, they can still have detrimental effects on students. For example, former University of Missouri student Danny Santulli got alcohol poisoning and experienced cardiac arrest during the recruitment process for his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta. As a result, Danny suffered serious brain damage, which has left him wheelchair-ridden, blind, and unable to talk. [6]

Evidently, some sort of reform needs to be implemented in a way that changes the culture of hazing on college campuses and ensures student safety. However, this statement is easier said than done. For one thing, wealthy fraternity alumni and national Greek organizations possess the funds and influence to allow fraternities to stay in power and keep their traditions. Moreover, Greek life is deeply rooted in powerful institutions. At least four members of President Trump’s Cabinet are fraternity alumni as well as Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, a former member of Phi Gamma Delta. As mentioned earlier, Phi Gamma Delta is the same fraternity that left Danny Santulli paralyzed. Additionally, about 155 lawmakers in Congress are Greek alumni.

With the increasing occurrence of incidents such as the ones mentioned above, opponents of Greek life have called for the dismantling of the Greek system altogether. But current and former fraternity members alike argue that most chapters foster brotherhood, build leadership skills, and promote philanthropy. In the 2013-14 academic year, the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) reported that chapters across the country volunteered 3.8 million hours and raised $20.3 million for charity. The NIC president and CEO, Judson Horras, says that his fraternity gave him a sense of belonging at his college. Other members, such as Josh Szabo, president of the Beta Theta Pi chapter at the University of South Carolina, believe that the good that fraternities do outweigh the “bad apples.” [7]

The Piazza family has been particularly vocal about Greek life reform in the wake of their son’s death. After the hazing incident involving Timothy, the Beta Theta Pi fraternity chapter was permanently banned at Penn State. Additionally, seven other Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities at the university either lost recognition or were suspended due to hazing allegations. [8] In June 2017, Penn State president Eric Barron announced that a comprehensive set of reforms would be instituted in an effort to crack down on dangerous behaviors within Greek organizations on campus. Some policy changes included the following:
• Adoption of a zero-tolerance policy for hazing
• No more than 10 social events with alcohol per semester
• Strongly enforced prohibition against underage possession and consumption of alcohol
• Required registration of all social events
• Review and approval of every organization’s new member process by the Office of Fraternity and Social Life
Barron emphasized that failure by any Greek-letter organization to prevent underage consumption and excessive drinking would result in further restrictions, including the possibility of the system going completely dry. [9] However, the Piazzas believe that these measures lack the strength to defuse the hazing issue. At least 14 members of the Penn State Board of Trustees are Greek alumni. This board is the same body that approved such reforms, which may partially explain why they seem so weak.

Moreover, the impact of Timothy Piazza’s death led to policy changes beyond those of Penn State. In 2018, Pennsylvania Senator Jake Corman introduced the Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Bill which was later signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf. [10] The bill established a penalty system with harsher punishments for hazing, and it required secondary schools and institutions to publish anti-hazing policies and report hazing violations. Additionally, immunity would be granted for individuals in need of medical aid as a result of hazing or underage drinking and for those who sought help for such individuals. [11]

As far as federal legislation goes, the Report and Educate About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act was introduced by the House in 2021 and hopes to further reduce hazing across college campuses nationwide. The REACH Act would also require universities to report hazing incidents under the Clery Act. Another piece of introduced legislation is the Educational Notification and Disclosure of Actions risking Loss of Life by Hazing Act (END ALL Hazing Act) This bill would require universities to report hazing allegations to campus and local law enforcement and to create a website identifying student organizations that have participated in hazing within the past five years. [12]

Restrictions or not, there is an important question that we should be asking: Can deeply ingrained fraternity culture truly be reformed? Schools such as Penn State have taken steps to prevent future hazing incidents, yet tragedies have continued to occur. Interestingly, university administrators and national fraternity leaders acknowledge that reforms only work when fraternity members follow them. Fraternities Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon, for example, ended the practice of pledging in an effort to reduce hazing, but several of their chapters have since been investigated for hazing violations. Also, the Beta Theta Pi house where Timothy Piazza pledged and the Phi Delta Theta house where Maxwell Gruver pledged were supposed to be alcohol-free. Even after Penn State implemented stricter policies on Greek life, an 18-year-old student had to be hospitalized after an alcohol-related incident at Delta Tau Delta. [13]

The hospitalization of Danny Santulli sparked mass student protests and a permanent ban on the Phi Gamma Delta chapter at the University of Missouri. The state of Missouri is one of 44 states that have anti-hazing laws, but only ten of those states consider hazing to be a felony in the event of death or serious injury. Furthermore, federal legislation on hazing is still rather shaky. The REACH Act has not seen much movement since its introduction. Currently, the Clery Act simply requires colleges and universities to report campus crime data. Without the REACH Act, the Clery Act does not have to require schools to report hazing offenses to the Department of Education, leaving parents and students in the dark about campus activities. [14][15]

Even with current reforms in place, there is still a lot of room for stricter anti-hazing legislation to be implemented and enforced throughout U.S. college campuses. Hazing rituals have become normalized in Greek-letter organizations, and it is time to reconstruct our way of thinking about this practice to ensure student safety. The passage of both the REACH Act and the END ALL Hazing Act is the right step towards creating a safer and more welcoming environment with fraternities and sororities. These organizations are supposed to be spaces where students can form long-lasting friendships and give back to the community.

Hazing incidents may give Greek life organizations a bad reputation, despite the fact that many of these groups neither participate in nor tolerate hazing in their recruitment processes. Unfortunately, little can be done to save those who have already been affected by hazing. The families of Timothy Piazza, Maxwell Gruver, and Ryan Abele may forever mourn the deaths of their sons. And Danny Santulli will not be able to walk, talk, or see for a very long time, possibly for the rest of his life. However, with further legislation, we can hope to prevent more names from being added to an already extensive list.

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Photo via Pexels Free Photos.

1. StopHazing Research Lab. “Hazing: The Issue.” Stop Hazing, December 2020. https://stophazing.org/issue/.
2. Lawrence, Andrew. “‘Nobody Called 911’: What Can Be Done to Change the Culture of Hazing at US Colleges?” The Guardian, June 23, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/23/us-colleges-university-hazing-fraternities-sororities.
3. Capone, Christy, Mark D. Wood, Brian Borsari, and Robert D. Laird. “Fraternity and Sorority Involvement, Social Influences, and Alcohol Use among College Students: A Prospective Examination.” Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 21, no. 3 (2007): 316–27. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164x.21.3.316.
4. Verrelli, Samantha. “‘Why Didn’t You Call for Help?’ | Parents of Timothy Piazza, Penn State Community Grapple with Loss 5 Years Later.” The Daily Collegian, February 6, 2022. https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/why-didn-t-you-call-for-help-parents-of-timothy-piazza-penn-state-community-grapple/article_680fc574-8562-11ec-b716-9be2589014b6.html.
5. Reilly, Katie. “College Students Keep Dying because of Fraternity Hazing. Why Is It So Hard to Stop?” Time Magazine, October 11, 2017. https://time.com/4976836/fraternity-hazing-deaths-reform-tim-piazza/.
6. Hoff, Eli. “Tears and ‘Baby Steps’ for Danny Santulli, One Year after Fraternity Injury.” Columbia Missourian, October 16, 2022. https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/tears-and-baby-steps-for-danny-santulli-one-year-after-fraternity-injury/article_10d31a08-4a5c-11ed-9399-8fbc616c277b.html.
7. Reilly, 2017
8. Locurto, Tina. “Penn State Pi Kappa Phi Chapter Re-Colonized after Three-Year Suspension for Hazing.” The Daily Collegian, April 25, 2018. https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/penn-state-pi-kappa-phi-chapter-re-colonized-after-three-year-suspension-for-hazing/article_4451e41e-48fd-11e8-8c0e-734d63e1ea19.html.
9. Penn State University. “Penn State Greek-Letter Orgs to Face Change as Aggressive New Measures Launch,” August 21, 2017. https://www.psu.edu/news/administration/story/penn-state-greek-letter-orgs-face-change-aggressive-new-measures-launch/.
10. Aiken, Maddie. “Decade in Review: Timothy Piazza’s Death Brings Changes and Reform.” The Daily Collegian, December 27, 2019. https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/decade-in-review-timothy-piazzas-death-brings-changes-and-reform/article_58659056-1d2a-11ea-b215-a3cf015fecb2.html.
11. Penn State University. “Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Legislation Signed into Pennsylvania Law | Penn State University,” October 19, 2018. https://www.psu.edu/news/administration/story/timothy-j-piazza-antihazing-legislation-signed-pennsylvania-law/.
12. Reilly, 2017
13. Aiken, 2019
14. Lawrence, 2022
15. Clery Center. “The Clery Act.” Accessed March 19, 2023. https://www.clerycenter.org/the-clery-act.