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

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Hazing News

First Two SAE Members Enter Not Gulty Plea in Carson Starkey Death: San Luis Obispo Tribune

Story link: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/breaking_news/v-print/story/740556.html

Story from the Tribune:

Posted on Thu, Jun. 04, 2009
Cal Poly students accused in hazing death plead not guilty
Two Cal Poly students accused of felony charges in the alleged hazing death of freshman Carson Starkey pleaded not guilty this morning.

Haithem Ibrahim and Zacary Ellis – of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity – entered their pleas in Judge Kenneth Andreen’s courtroom to charges of felony hazing causing death or great bodily injury and misdemeanor furnishing alcohol to a minor causing death or great bodily injury.

Both men are out of custody after posting bail.

Ibrahim’s lawyer Thomas McCormick requested that his client’s bail be reduced, saying Ibrahim doesn’t have a criminal history and has never been arrested. McCormick said that he posted a $50,000 cash bond for Ibrahim; Andreen lowered the bail amount to $25,000.

Ellis’ attorney, Richard Conway of Hanford, said that Ellis used a bail bondsman and didn’t seek to lower his bail amount.

Their next court appearances are in July. Two others accused of misdemeanor crimes – Russell Taylor and Adam Marszal – are scheduled to appear in court later this month.

Starkey, an 18-year-old from Austin, Texas, was pledging to the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon when he attended the gathering Dec. 1 at 551 Highland Drive in San Luis Obispo.

The alleged hazing incident involved having pledges drink large amounts of alcohol chosen for them by a big brother. Police said Starkey was initially taken to the hospital after becoming unresponsive after drinking, but fraternity brothers turned the car back and Starkey spent the night at the home. He was pronounced dead the next morning.

Police tests showed his blood alcohol content from 0.39 to 0.45 percent. That’s about five times the legal limit for driving, which is 0.08 percent.

Police said Ibrahim was Starkey’s big brother who chose the alcohol for him and Ellis was the pledge educator for the fraternity.

–Nick Wilson

Categories
Hazing News

Apology from Phi Kappa Tau at Wright State

Link: http://www.theguardianonline.com/news/ex-gac-president-replys-to-allegations-of-hazing-underage-drinking-1.1758629

Excerpt:
Former Greek Affair Council (GAC) President, Matt Ames is now responding on Phi Kappa Tau’s behalf.

Phi Kappa Tau received a hazing violation after organizing an activity they later realized qualified as a scavenger hunt for pledges during fall quarter, but not all members were involved and the activity was completely dry, said Ames.

Both the fraternity itself, and the individual who organized the scavenger hunt were charged.
Ames was not personally charged with anything as a result of the incident but was removed from his position as GAC president.

Ames approved the activity even though he did not participate.

“In hindsight we see that it was qualified as a scavenger hunt which is against the rules and for that the organization and I both apologize,” said Ames.

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Hazing News

Trinity society under scrutiny: Toronto Star

Link to Toronto Star

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Hazing News

Charges

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Police have arrested four young men on charges alleging a fraternity alcohol hazing ritual led to the death of a California Polytechnic State University student from Texas.

San Luis Obispo police say the four — ages 20 to 22 — surrendered Thursday on criminal warrants in the death of 18-year-old Carson Starkey of Austin.

Starkey died in December and was found to have a blood-alcohol level between 0.39 percent and 0.44 percent.

Police say Starkey was pledging the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and had to go through a ritual of drinking a bag full of alcoholic beverages.

Two of the defendants are charged with felony hazing causing death or great bodily injury. The other two face misdemeanors.
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Hazing News

California bulletin: arrests in CA

San Luis Obispo, Calif., Police Department officials announced today that they have arrested and charged individuals in connection with the Dec. 2, 2008, death of 18-year-old Carson Starkey (at right) of Austin.
CS.JPG

San Luis Obispo officials are releasing more information at a 3 p.m. (Central Time) press conference, so check back here for details on what officials there are calling a “fraternity hazing death.”

Starkey died of alcohol poisoning during a fraternity initiation in California on Dec. 2. He had pledged to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity during his freshman year at California Polytechnic State University. According to a police report, Carson died as a result of hazing, and autopsy results showed his blood alcohol content was between .39 and .44. The legal limit to drive in Texas is .08.

A graduate of Austin High School, Carson Starkey was a member of the school’s tennis, lacrosse and cross-country running teams. But his father, Scott Starkey, has said that Carson Starkey’s true love was cycling, and he helped his father build mountain bike trails in Texas and Colorado.

After graduating in the top 10 percent of his high school class, Carson Starkey decided to go to Cal Poly because it was one of the top schools for architectural engineering, his mother, Julia Starkey, has said. He started school Sept. 13, bringing his cowboy boots and a Texas flag with him. He told his parents that he wanted to join the fraternity to make more friends.

Julia and Scott Starkey have said they knew little about alcohol poisoning before their son died and now want to educate other people about it. In March, they and about 200 of their friends and relatives walked in the Capitol 10K wearing blue T-shirts with a picture of Carson Starkey and the address of a Web site — www.withcarson.com — with information about life-threatening signs of alcohol abuse.

Since Carson’s death, the Starkeys have also persuaded the Austin school district to add alcohol poisoning and hazing awareness to the secondary health curriculum next school year, said Tracy Lunoff, the district’s health curriculum director. The Starkeys have also established a scholarship fund for a graduating Austin High School senior and a fund to create awareness about alcohol poisoning and hazing.

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