Penn State fraternity and 18 of its members are charged in student's death

bester1 · October 12, 2017, 4:57pm

10 charged in death of drunken student after suspected hazing at LSU fraternity…
http://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2017/10/10_students_charged_lsu_penn_s.html

“At Penn State, Timothy Piazza, 19, was trying to join the Beta Theta Pi fraternity when he suffered a series of falls amid an alcohol-fueled party. His new brothers waited nearly 12 hours before calling for help, which doctors said contributed to his death.”

momofthreeboys · October 12, 2017, 10:53pm

The LSU guys all but one was charged with hazing. The PSU guys cases are for the most part now hazing. It seems it would be needed to be understood what the one LSU guy did that accounted for the manslaughter charge in order to make any comparisons in the cases and if the manslaughter charge sticks in the LSU case.

bester1 · October 16, 2017, 2:05pm

10 LSU fraternity brothers were charged in the death of a pledge after a hazing activity called ‘bible study’…
http://www.businessinsider.com/lsu-fraternity-brothers-charged-after-pledge-death-2017-10

"The news of Gruver’s death follows the high-profile death in February of Timothy Piazza, who had participated in a fraternity hazing event at Penn State.

Eight fraternity brothers at Penn State were charged with involuntary manslaughter. All were cleared of the felony charges against them."

bester1 · October 17, 2017, 1:10pm

Penn State’s Alpha Chi Rho fraternity charged with furnishing alcohol…
http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/crime/article179189886.html

“Alpha Chi Rho had already been placed on a one-year suspension in July for a hazing incident, according to university documents.”

bester1 · October 18, 2017, 3:23am

Suspended Penn State Fraternity Faces Underage Drinking Charges After Underage Women Are Hospitalized

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Penn-State-fraternity-Alpha-Chi-Rho-Underage-Drinking-Charges-451229223.html
“Alpha Chi Rho is not currently a recognized fraternity at Penn State,” the university said in a statement. “This group was suspended (7/17/17) for one year until July 2018 – for hazing.”

jpc763 · October 18, 2017, 3:22pm

This is simply amazing.

“Alpha Chi Rho is not currently a recognized fraternity at Penn State,” the university said in a statement. “This group was suspended (7/17/17) for one year until July 2018 – for hazing.”

In my Fraternity, if the chapter is suspended by the school, national revokes their charter, everyone leaves the house and all activities are stopped. Apparently this is not the case for this chapter as the house still has letters on it and there are still activities going on.

philbegas · October 18, 2017, 8:13pm

^What do you do with the lease agreements in that case though? Is this sort of thing written into them?

MomfromPA15317 · October 18, 2017, 8:29pm

@philbegas ^^

Every situation is different. Some of these houses are leased. Some are owned by the Alumni Board. In the case of Beta, the members were given a few days and had to find alternate housing. In this case, apparently, either their leases don’t call for their removal or their Alumni Board or landlord didn’t make them leave. There is some urban legend around State College that there is a limit to how many students can live in a property if it is not a group sanctioned by the university. Some say it is a max of 5 students, others have said 7. I find this hard to believe since I have seen rental properties available listing more beds than that with no requirements for affiliation. I am not sure that such a law exists but I have heard it cited. If it does exist, clearly no one is enforcing it because this group is carrying on with business as usual despite being suspended in July.

bester1 · October 23, 2017, 1:02pm

Outcry after rooms apparently rented at Penn State frat where pledge died…
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/penn-state-fraternity-beta-theta-pi-criticized-renting-rooms-timothy-piazza-death/

Watch the video. Unbelievable.

bester1 · October 23, 2017, 5:31pm

‘That was a crime scene’: Family’s fury as it emerges rooms at defunct Penn State frat house where student died in horrific hazing incident are being rented out for up to $350-a-night on football weekends

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5009251/Penn-State-frat-house-owners-slammed-renting-property.html

bester1 · October 25, 2017, 1:05pm

Yes, Beta Theta Pi is renting its house. But that’s not illegal, frat says…

http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/article180727471.html

bester1 · October 25, 2017, 1:08pm

Fraternity Trial Update…
http://www.abc23.com/News/NewsDetails.asp?NewsID=24597

“All but guaranteeing if a trial or trials are held they won’t be before the prosecutor D.A. Stacy Parks Miller leave office at the end of this year.”

bester1 · October 27, 2017, 4:01pm

‘An oath of silence’: The secret world of fraternity pledging and how it contributes to hazing deaths.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/oath-silence-secret-world-fraternity-pledging-contributes-hazing/story?id=49877076

But the Piazzas don’t think the university’s changes are enough.

"They talked a lot about putting measures into place – a lot of them haven’t even been implemented yet. Even with the measures they said they were going to take, I don’t think it’s enough,” Jim Piazza said.

“I just think Penn State would love for the noise to die down,” he added."

bester1 · October 27, 2017, 8:06pm

Pledging Continues At Penn State Fraternities…
http://radio.wpsu.org/post/pledging-continues-penn-state-fraternities

“Among the measures the university outlined in March is that fraternities and sororities would not have formal recruitment this fall. Instead, that would be postponed until spring. At the time, media reported that as meaning there would be no rush this semester. But there was.”

LucieTheLakie · October 27, 2017, 10:04pm

“The Centre County District Attorney late Friday re-filed involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault charges against eight members of a Penn State fraternity accused in the alleged hazing death of a sophomore pledge last February.”

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/penn-state-frat-charges-refiled-piazza-death-20171027.html

MYOS1634 · October 27, 2017, 10:15pm

The fraternities clearly feel that they can act however they want in total impunity.

citivas · October 27, 2017, 10:21pm

And that’s entirely the fault of the colleges that allow them to. Many colleges have driven the frats out entirely and now brag about it, so it can be done quiet easily. Those that allow them are complicit in all their abuses.

bester1 · October 28, 2017, 3:16am

Penn State fraternity and 18 of its members are charged in student's death

CONNECT WITH US