Tracking hazing deaths

Author: Hank Nuwer

Journalist Hank Nuwer tracks hazing deaths in fraternities and schools. Nuwer is the Alaska author of Hazing: Destroying Young Lives; Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing, Wrongs of Passage and The Hazing Reader. In April of 2024 and April 2025 , the Alaska Press Club awarded him first place in the Best Columnist division.

He has written articles or columns on hazing for the Sunday Times of India, Toronto Globe & Mail, Harper's Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His current book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Fairbanks, Alaska. Nuwer is a former columnist for the Greenville (Ohio)Early Bird and former managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska.
Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his “After Darke” column in the Early Bird. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. “The move is a sort-of coming home for us,” said Nuwer. As a journalist, he’s written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. Read his musings in his blog at Real Alaska Daily--http://realalaskadaily.com

Hazing News

Myth: a hazing victim won’t die if you don’t hit him or her in the chest: bunk

Post author By Hank Nuwer
Post date March 5, 2012
No Comments on Myth: a hazing victim won’t die if you don’t hit him or her in the chest: bunk

Moderator: The recent discovery that a fraternity put a red X on the chest of a pledge, meaning that part of him could not be hit but extremities COULD be hit–has to be addressed right away.

For example, the 2012 beating of a Flipino pledge named Marvin Reglos showed the fatal crushing blows went to the arms and legs.

–Moderator

Except:

“MANILA, Philippines – San Beda law student Marvin Reglos died of kidney failure after sustaining several muscle injuries during initiation rites in Antipolo City last month, autopsy results revealed.

Dr. Alvin David, National Bureau of Investigation medico-legal division chief, said Reglos suffered rhabdomyolysis wherein skeletal muscle tissue breaks down rapidly due to a crush injury.

He said Reglos’ skeletal muscle broke down after he was hit repeatedly on the legs and arms. The damaged skeletal muscle then secreted myoglobin or muscle protein, which caused Reglos’ kidneys to fail.”