Author: Hank Nuwer

Sorority coverage

Public Forum Letter
Updated: 06/24/2009 03:15:32 PM MDT

Several points were missed in “Sorority sister gets jail time, $1,000 fine” ( Tribune , June 17) about the hazing death of my brother, Michael Starks:

» The defendant, Whitney Miller, had six priors for underage drinking; Starks had zero. There is no basis to say Michael had been drinking for years.

» This was a fraternity/sorority hazing, with at least a three-year history. Sigma Nu was a corrupting institution; that’s why it is closed.

» Whitney Miller pleaded guilty and expressed sympathy and remorse, but afterward her lawyer made a statement to the press and blamed the victim. This negates her apology and sympathy.

» Since the victim cannot defend himself, it is disrespectful to blame him or for a newspaper to print that. That came from a defense attorney who just lost a case. It was spite.

There were many victims in this Utah State University hazing incident: Michael Starks, the other young people who participated and countless family members and friends. As a community, we need to stop hiding from what we do not understand and use this tragedy to start an honest dialogue about hazing, alcohol poisoning, underage drinking and the responsibility we have to those around us.

Georgie Starks

Salt Lake City

Updated: 06/23/2009 04:23:25 PM MDT

I was disturbed by the report on Whitney Miller, a Utah State University student, pleading guilty in the hazing death of Michael Starks (“Sorority sister gets jail time, $1,000 fine,” Tribune , June 17). The only quotes were her defense attorney’s accusations and innuendoes. Aren’t there two sides to every story?

Miller pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, but her lawyer’s attempt to blame the victim makes her statements a bit weak. Earl Xiaz stated that Starks was “primarily responsible for his own demise.” Based on other articles I’ve read, I disagree; regardless, Starks has paid — with his life. That does not mean others who share the responsibility should be let off.

Colleges and universities need to pay more attention to what goes on in these establishments. Hazing should be disallowed. These are adults, albeit young, and in many respects are responsible for their own decisions, but parents expect the schools to watch their children carefully.

Whitney Miller has to spend 30 days in jail and do community service. The Starks family has to live without their son and brother for the rest of their lives. Miller got off easy.

M. Veronica Brand

West Jordan

Blog: Occasional Thoughts from NYSSWA President John Moriello

John Moriello’s NYSSWA blog
Monday, June 22, 2009: Wilson hazing cases falling apart
Leading off today: Some 14 months after headline-grabbing allegations of sexual assualt during a hazing incident, The Buffalo News reports that the case against the accused is in shambles.

And now people in and around the Town of Wilson are wondering whether it’s a case of details from the incident involving varsity and JV baseball players being blown out of proportion, a botched investigation or a combination of the two.

What started as allegations that seniors had taken some younger players to the back of a school bus and forced objects into their rectums has deteriorated from felony aggravated sexual abuse to charges at the misdemeanor and violation level that might not hold up to scrutiny in the courtroom.

Similarly, coaches William M. Atlas and Thomas J. Baia, to be tried in Town Court on July 6 on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, face a less uncertain future. They are accused of not stopping whatever was happening on the bus, and their attorneys are poised to argue that there was nothing that needed to be stopped.

That’s the paper’s take on the situation following a careful examination of court filings as well as interviews with lawyers involved in the cases against the coaches and three players.

Reports about what happened April 17, 2008, led the State Police to say the incident involved criminal sexual acts. They also alleged there were similar incidents in previous years, laying the foundation for child-endangerment charges filed against the coaches.

However, Town Justice George R. Berger has barred the mention of previous incidents at the coaches’ trial, unless the defense were to bring it up. The paper also reported there is an internal investigation by the State Police into how the matter has been handled.

Guilty pleas planned in hazing

* By JORDAN BLUM

The seven former Southern University marching band members arrested for hazing last year have accepted a plea bargain to avoid prison time, the East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney said Tuesday.

The seven suspects will plead guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit second-degree battery, which is a felony, and misdemeanor hazing, District Attorney Hillar Moore III said.

“This is a first-offense for all of these individuals,” Moore said. “But, most importantly, this is what the victims requested.”

The seven likely will get three years probation, with the possibility of the probation ending after one year, Moore said.

The district attorney said he is pleased with the outcome because the former band members are pleading guilty to a felony.

That will “resonate” at Southern and other campuses, he said.

The hazing incident was part of a Nov. 25 initiation into the marching band’s unofficial French horn fraternity — “Mellow Phi Fellow” — prior to the Bayou Classic football game, according to arrest records.

Two victims were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, but were eventually released.

A third victim, who was not hospitalized, withdrew from the initiation after being struck more than 50 times by a 2-by-4 inch board, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office records state.

“As part of the initiation ritual, the three subjects were blindfolded and told to remove their shirts,” according to the arrest reports. “They then had water splashed on them as senior members struck them numerous time with open hands.

“The three victims were then told to bend over at the waist, and the senior members began striking them numerous times with a large wooden board,” the arrest reports state.

Moore said final paperwork could be filed today with the state district court in Baton Rouge.

The perpetrators could have initially faced 25 years in prison and more than $25,000 in fines.