Hank Nuwer, Author; Hazing Deaths Database

Here is the reaction to the column

excerpt: As the title suggested, it was about putting the blame also on the willing victims and not just on those doing the hazing in order to prevent students from joining “brotherhoods” that inflict violence on candidates.

Law student Marc Andre Marcos of San Beda Law School (run by Benedictine monks) died last week after initiation rites of the Lex Leonum Fraternitas, which is not recognized by the school.

Among the letters I received, one was from a mother and another from a frat man-university professor-government official. Neither wants to be identified.

The mother wrote: “I read your article and I could not help but cry. If you have the time, please read the open letter that I have been wanting to write for over a decade now… I am keeping [myself] anonymous due the sensitive intricacies in the fraternity to which [my husband] belongs.

“Your article struck a very raw nerve because my husband is a victim of hazing, a willing victim. He entered law school and joined his fraternity after our children were born. As if he didn’t have enough brothers and sisters, he sought the brotherhood of more…”

August 7, 2012

Contact
Phuket Jennings
Burlington School District

Henri Sparks, Equity Director of the Burlington School District, has been appointed to sit on the Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council recently announced by Commissioner of Education Armando Vilaseca. This council will provide a regular forum for communication and collaboration between Vermont’s Commissioner of Education and the community. Commissioner Vilaseca reports the goal of the council is to provide resources and supports to schools as they address issues of harassment, hazing and/or bullying.

Burlington Schools has committed to addressing the issue of harassment and discrimination, particularly around race, in recent months. Superintendent Jeanné Collins notes the District is pleased to have Sparks sitting on this council. “Burlington has a lot of experience to share with the state on addressing these issues. We also have much we can learn through conversation with other leaders in the state on how to improve our own climate. Mr. Sparks will be an excellent representative as he works within our own schools to create a welcoming climate for all students and families.”

The advisory council will be composed of a varied group of individuals, with Sparks the only school district representative. The council will be chaired by Tracey Tsugawa of the Vermont Human Rights Commission.

Here is the story link and excerpt from The Sun newspaper

A student suspected in a hazing case at A.B. Miller High in Fontana, which involved the alleged attempted sexual assault of two students, now seeks to withdraw a guilty plea that he entered in Superior Court last month.

A lawyer for 18-year-old Fernando Manuel Salgado has filed a motion in Fontana Superior Court to withdraw the guilty plea, which was part of an agreement with prosecutors. Salgado appeared in court today for sentencing proceedings, which did not occur.

The case was continued to Sept. 6 to give prosecutors a chance to respond to Salgado’s motion, according to Chris Lee, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Douglas Fettel, who took Salgado’s plea on July 16, will hear the defense motion next month, Lee said.

On July 16, Salgado had admitted guilt to one count of sexual penetration with a foreign object and one count of assault with a deadly weapon in Fontana Superior Court, as part of a plea bargain, according to court records.

Here is the story link to Hanif Johnson’s charges

Link to the story and excerpt

Sorority section link