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Franklin College issued the following news release:

Franklin College journalism professor Hank Nuwer attended the Anne Frank Project annual conference as an Anne Frank Fellow presenter on Thursday, Sept. 12 at Buffalo State College, the State University of New York, to present a lecture and one-act play about hazing as human rights abuse.

Along with writing, Nuwer also acted in the one-man play. The 30-minute play is titled “A Broken Pledge.” It had never been performed for audiences before, but was chosen out of hundreds of entries to be part of the Anne Frank Project annual conference.

Looking to the future, Nuwer said, “I am hopeful the play can be put on by student actors at colleges and perhaps prevent a hazing death.”

The play is a monologue by a grandfather whose grandson has just been killed in an alcohol-related hazing incident involving his fraternity. The grandfather, who has just come from the funeral, speaks of the happy memories he has of his grandson and deliberates on how to forgive the fraternity and teach them the serious consequences of hazing.

Ray Begovich, another Franklin College journalism professor, assisted Nuwer in the early stages of the work with lighting and stage directions.

Begovich said he believes the play has given Nuwer “the freedom to express something as a playwright and actor that you just can’t do as a journalist.”

“I would like to see Hank perform this around the country and turn it into a high-quality film,” Begovich added, mentioning that the target audience would be fraternities, sororities, the military and other groups.

Additionally, Nuwer also presented a 45-minute lecture, which will focus on the roots and nature of hazing as well as the importance of bystander intervention and service as means of preventing hazing injuries and deaths.

Nuwer is scheduled to provide additional performances of the play on Thursday, Sept. 26 for an athletics class at the University of Cincinnati and at Northeastern University in Oklahoma on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

In his previous theater experiences, Nuwer was a fellow to the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Bridgeport, where he studied Shakespeare and acted in two Shakespearian plays. Nuwer wrote a play entitled “Beyond Survival” that was presented at the University of Nevada, and another play, “The Monster” was a finalist at the San Francisco American Conservatory Theatre.

Nuwer has been featured on CBS News, MTV, ESPN’s Outside the Lines, the

Today Show with Matt Lauer and other major news outlets for his work and research involving hazing. There is an anti-hazing award in his name, with Peyton Manning as a former recipient. He has published an online video series titled “Kids in the House.” Recently, Nuwer has also served as a consultant to the Virginia Tech Victim’s Family Outreach Foundation and has offered input on an anti-hazing bill in Alaska, where he owns ten acres of property.

The Anne Frank Project annual conference at Buffalo State College, the State University of New York, is designed to bring together students, scholars, artists and activists to collaborate through workshops, speeches, performances and other activities in order to promote unity and peace on a global scale. The goal of the program is to provide everyone with the tools they need so that no one remains a bystander.

Contact the Franklin College Office of Marketing and Communications for more information at (317) 738-8185.