Hank Nuwer, Author; Hazing Deaths Database

Police investigate reported hazing at Penn State fraternity

Sara Ganim

– sganim@centredaily.com

STATE COLLEGE — Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity has been charged with what police call a “disturbing” hazing incident that sent two students to the hospital with alcohol poisoning.

Police say the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity hazed young pledges by forcing them to drink large amounts of beer and liquor in order to join.

In a six-page criminal complaint, police describe how five pledging freshmen were “made to drink and chug” hard liquor and beer around a trash can in a ceremony intended to get pledges “really drunk.”

“There’s a lot of people doing a lot of work to try to stem this type of behavior and we appreciate it,” said State College Capt. Dana Leonard. “But we recognize it’s not going to change overnight, but I think this is another illustration of another near tragedy.”

Police said it’s unusual for them to bring hazing charges.

The incident comes on the heels of the Interfraternity Council’s decision to make all rush activities “dry” after the September death of 18-year-old Penn State freshman Joseph Dado, who police say was given alcohol at a fraternity before falling to his death from a campus ledge.

“Fortunately, everybody came out of this healthy,” Leonard said of the alleged hazing. “But this is, to me, an example of, too often this type of behavior, how it starts off is a very good time but it ends too often in tragedy.”

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Police began investigating the fraternity when two freshmen landed in the hospital with alcohol overdoses after attending the party.

“When you have two alcohol overdoses, that’s strong evidence, and the ages of the two young men, that triggers an investigation,” Leonard said.

Members of the fraternity, including pledge master Mitch Guber, didn’t return calls seeking comment Wednesday. The fraternity’s president, Matthew Feinland, cooperated with authorities and admitted things got out of hand, police said.

IFC spokesman Daniel Cartwright could not be reached for comment, and neither could the fraternity’s national chapter.

Police got most of their story from a 19-year-old treated for alcohol overdose. He told police he was “soaking wet from beer and vomit,” but was given dry clothes, carried back to his dorm, where he vomited and urinated “on his bed, on his dresser, on the floor and on his school books and roommate’s shoes before finally passing out again,” court papers said.

The 19-year-old told police he’d been rushing the fraternity during spring semester and had been given alcohol by the fraternity on several occasions. But on Feb. 11, which was a Thursday, he was told to be at the fraternity at 240 E. Prospect Ave. by 8 p.m. and “wear old clothes” for the “bid initiation ceremony.”

When he arrived, he said he and other pledges were stripped of their cell phones, jackets and wallets, and taken to the basement, where they were surrounded by about 30 fraternity members circled around a trash can.

Several cases of beer and two bottles of Goldschlager schnapps, a bottle of Southern Comfort whiskey, a bottle of Jim Beam and several bottles of flavored Mad Dog malt liquor were set up for them to drink, the pledge told police.

The 19-year-old said he alone drank a bottle of Goldschlager and a bottle of Southern Comfort.

“He stated that after several bottles of the hard liquor was finished, all the bid members started vomiting into the trash can,” he told police, according to court documents. “(He) stated that he was given a bottle of 20/20 next … stated it was an orange flavored beverage and he was made to ‘chug it.’ ”

They set up a beer slip and slide and had pledges slide on beer into a wall lined with pillows, police said. Members were directing them to tilt their heads back so beer could be poured down their throats.

When he vomited on the floor, he said, he remembered a fraternity member poking fun at what he’d eaten earlier.

After his hospital stay, the pledge said, he began getting calls and text messages to stay away from the fraternity, and was told to tell police he couldn’t remember where he was drinking that night.

The account of that night was later corroborated by Feinland, who said he “tried to slow things down.”

Feinland also told police Goldschlager is a a “traditional liquor that is used during AEPi bid admission ceremonies.” It has a 43.5 percent alcohol volume, or 87 proof.

Feinland said AEPi members used fraternity money to buy the alcohol and assigned sober members to take each pledge home at the end of the night.

Leonard said the investigation into this incident isn’t over, and police still might charge individual fraternity members.

“Our goal is always to identify the persons responsible but in many cases an organization can be held responsible,” he said. “People make up organizations, and if we can identify the people responsible and there’s sufficient evidence, we would bring charges in any case.”

Police said an 18-year-old who was hospitalized had a blood alcohol content of .174 percent. They didn’t give a BAC for the 19-year-old.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
A plea agreement was put on hold Tuesday in the case against six former Las Vegas High School football players accused of sodomizing fellow players in 2008.

Steven Garcia stood before a judge in Santa Fe to enter his plea as one of the victim’s parents protested.

The judge said he needs more time to evaluate reports and letters from parents before making a decision. He is the latest former athlete to enter a plea in the case.

Garcia pleaded to rape and other charges in a way that allows him to maintain his innocence, but admits he’d be found guilty in court.

Garcia is one of six boys accused of using a broomstick to sexually assault fellow Las Vegas Robertson teammates during an August 2008 football camp.

Under the plea, Garcia would be treated as a juvenile and spend one year or less in detention. Parents of one victim said, “No deal.”

“Mr. Garcia must answer these charges once and for all. We hope Mr. Garcia has a promising future but we do believe he must first accept and admit he did something very terrible to our son,” said victim’s parent Mike Melton.

“Regardless of how Mr. Garcia deals with his own personal responsibility, a guilty plea is a guilty plea and he would have been deemed to have been convicted under the laws of the state of New Mexico,” said special prosecutor Henry Valdez.

Valdez said that means even with the plea Garcia would be considered convicted under state law.

Valdez said many of the victims want to put the incident behind them and trying Garcia as an adult could be difficult because he’s a first-time offender.

The judge isn’t expected to announce a decision on the plea and sentence until May.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/23015810/detail.html

http://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/article_1d9103ee-3d00-11df-896d-001cc4c03286.html

Restorative Justice comes to Teton High

Hazing incident charges may be dropped

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Posted: Thursday, April 1, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 3:01 pm, Wed Mar 31, 2010.

Stacy Simonet TVN Staff | 0 comments

Editor’s Note: The wrestlers involved in the hazing incident at the high school have been named Student 1, Student 2 and Student 3 to protect their identities.

This week is Anti-bullying Awareness Week in Teton School District 401. Every school in the district is addressing the topic of bullying through various assemblies and activities.
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New school district policy is the driving force behind the week’s activities, said Superintendent Monte Woolstenhulme.

According to the policy, one week out of each school year will be dedicated to:

Recognize that bullying is a serious issue that has damaging effects for our society such as the tragic school shootings, which occurred on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colo. at Columbine High School.

Recognize that bullying is not an acceptable part of how we should treat each other.

Teach students and staff the District’s policy on bullying and the consequences.

Help students and staff recognize that bullying behaviors have different forms.

Recognize the tremendous leadership potential of our youth.

Celebrate/recognize those who are making a difference in addressing bullying.

Prepare for further work that needs to be done in the future.

“The Teton School District is committed to providing a positive and productive learning and working environment. Hazing, harassment, intimidation, menacing or bullying by students, staff or third parties is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated in the district,” the policy reads. “It is important that the students and parents have an awareness about the serious issues and the negative effects of bullying, including the long-term damage it can cause, which may include the increased risk of teenage suicide.”

On Monday, nine Massachusetts teens were charged in the bullying of a teenage girl from Ireland who killed herself after enduring months of torment by classmates in person and online, according to the Associated Press.

Closer to home, three Teton High School wrestlers were each charged with two counts of battery for a hazing incident that occurred in December, causing a stir among Valley residents.

Woolstenhulme said he hopes the district’s efforts of raising awareness about the negative impacts of bullying will be seen as proactive and will help build more positive relationships within the schools.

Restorative Justice

The three Teton High School students charged in the alleged hazing incident that took place in December may have their charges dropped as the result of a restorative justice program, a program the school board hopes to make part of its new policy.

“We are dropping the charges because my system wouldn’t get any farther with these kids,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kathy Spitzer. Spitzer said the three wrestlers have eight months to complete the eight action items that are on the restorative justice agreement. If they complete the items the charges are dropped. If they fail to complete the items, the court process will move forward.

Restorative justice brings together victims, offenders and members of the community that have been impacted by a crime and has them work cooperatively to repair the harm caused by the criminal behavior.

Martha Doyle, a Valley resident certified in restorative justice practices and holding a master’s in juvenile justice, said the goal of the process is to create accountability, to repair the harm done to victims and to help keep the community safe. Doyle said each person involved in a crime – from victims to witnesses to offenders – comes to the table with a story. The process helps put those stories out there for all parties to consider and looks at the impacts of the events that took place and focuses on what can be done to repair the harm caused by those events.

Spitzer said she believes the restorative justice program is a good solution for some offenders, so good that she is applying for a small grant to help kick start the program for the prosecutor’s office. She said she is also glad the school district is seriously considering putting restorative practices in place.

“I would have deferred right to that [restorative justice] instead of bringing formal charges,” Spitzer said.

The three students charged in the THS hazing incident said they feel like the process is a good one.

Student 1 is a senior at THS. Student 2, also a senior, hopes to wrestle in college and to get a degree in sports medicine while Student 3 isn’t sure what he wants to do after graduation.

“I feel much better that we could sit down and see what other people were thinking. See how it affected others and not just me,” said Student 3.

Student 1 said it was good to see the incident from different points of view. “It helps you realize what other people were thinking,” he said.

“I didn’t think we were going to all agree on something,” said Student 2.

The final result of a restorative justice session is an agreement that is signed by everyone that participated. In the case for the three wrestlers there were eight action items they agreed to complete in order to help repair the harm their actions caused.

“It’s to hold people accountable, it’s the action stuff,” said Doyle about the agreement phase. She said the items agreed to in the action plan are a way for the people who did harm to give a voice the victims of that harm.

Teton School District is planning on making restorative justice part of district policy, said Doug Petersen, school board president.

“The quicker we can get that program in place the better,” Petersen said. The school board will discuss the restorative justice program at its April board meeting.

To contact Stacy Simonet e-mail publisher@tetonvalleynews.net.