Today, the former band member called the ring leader in the hazing death of Robert Champion was sentenced to 6+ years in prison–longest ever in a collegiate hazing death. http://tinyurl.com/mds5bvo
Excerpt: from WNYT’s Anna Meillar
ALBANY – Campus wide, University at Albany students are mourning the death of Trevor Duffy, the 19-year-old sophomore who died after an underage drinking party on Hamilton Street.
“Everyone’s kind of shaken up. No one likes to see that,” said Henry Moers, a senior at the university.
His death is sparking a conversation on social media, with students sharing their thoughts on the anonymous social media app called Yik Yak.
“About frats and hazing and how dangerous they can be,” said freshman, Marissa Guttenberg.
Students say the incident likely happened within an underground fraternity- an organized social group similar to Greek life, but one that is not recognized by the university.
“There’s a lot of underground frats. You hear about it, but you’re told also by anybody in charge, like your R.A., not to join them because they get risky,” said Guttenberg.
One of those risks? Students say some underground fraternities turn what should be a social activity into a dangerous challenge.
“You have to drink, you have to take another shot, you have to do more and more to be accepted,” said Gerald Finn, a senior.
According to the West Virginia student newspaper, WVU Kappa Sigma (Gamma Phi Chapter) pledge may have been participating in Big-Little Night, a benign event usually unless there is a traditional expectation that there will be a bottle exchange or “challenge to drink” with the expectation that the pledge will get wildly intoxicated. In that case, the line into a situation of criminal or perhaps non-criminal (depending on state statute) hazing has been crossed. Almost always, if a death occur, authorities will investigate the chapter treasurer and president, as well as the big brother, to see who furnished alcohol to an under-aged prospective member. At this stage, information is to scant to call this a hazing death.
Here is a brief report from the Boston Globe.
Excerpt:
An application for criminal charges against the students was filed Thursday, said Police Chief Steven Wojnar. Police acted after an investigation into an alleged off-campus hazing incident at the school in Dudley on Nov. 7, according to Wojnar and a statement from the school.