OXFORD, Miss. – The families of two students who died as a result of fraternity hazing in 2017 are coming to the University of Mississippi Tuesday (Oct. 9) to raise awareness of the dangers of hazing and other high-risk behaviors in an effort to prevent similar tragedies.
Steve and Rae Ann Gruver, parents of Max Gruver, and Evelyn Piazza, mother of Tim Piazza, will speak at “Family Matters: A Community Conversation on Hazing.” The free event begins at 7 p.m. in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
Piazza’s and Gruver’s fatalities were among four separate pledge deaths across the country last year. UM representatives scheduled to participate in the program include Ann Weston Sistrunk, College Panhellenic president; Randon Hill, National Pan-Hellenic Council president; and Bennett Wilfong, Interfraternity Council representative.
“These parents will tell the heartbreaking stories about losing their sons due to hazing,” said Arthur Doctor Jr., UM director of fraternal leadership and learning. “Their stories are different, yet they share similar and terrifying characteristics. There is much our community can learn from their message.”
On Feb. 3, 2017, Piazza was served 18 drinks in roughly an hour-and-a-half during a Beta Theta Pi fraternity pledge initiation called “The Gauntlet” at Pennsylvania State University. The 19-year-old fell several times, including down a flight of stairs, causing numerous traumatic injuries.
Fraternity members didn’t get medical attention for Piazza until the next morning. He died Feb. 4, 2017.
During an initiation called “Bible Study,” senior Phi Delta Theta fraternity members at Louisiana State University instructed Gruver, 18, and other pledges to chug 190-proof Diesel liquor. He died Sept. 14, 2017, with a blood-alcohol level of .496, more than six times the state’s legal driving limit.
“The event started from a dialogue between Dr. (Brandi) Hepher LaBanc (vice chancellor for student affairs) and Mrs. Gruver related to the open letter that was sent to the UM community last fall,” Doctor said. “‘Family Matters’ was planned to address hazing as a collective community.”
Following Piazza’s and Gruver’s deaths, Ole Miss administrators addressed high-risk behaviors on campus. In addition to the open letter, steps taken at that time included:
- Mandatory prospective new member education regarding alcohol/drugs and violence/sexual assault prevention
- Launch of the Livesafe app
- Updates to the event registration process to address safety and help curb high-risk behavior
- Recruitment visits and assessments by National Fraternity Council representatives.
The Max Gruver Foundation was established as a nonprofit organization working to end hazing on college campuses. On its website, the foundation encourages personal responsibility and taking action.
“Please look out for yourself and, as importantly, look out for others,” reads an open letter on the site. “Speak up if you see a situation that does not look right. If you’re noticing something doesn’t seem right – chances are, it’s not. Take action. Get help. Taking action requires courage – even if it seems like the unpopular route to take.”
Mindy Sutton Noss, UM assistant vice chancellor and dean of students, echoed this message.
“It is our hope that members of our community will not only be more informed about hazing but be more inclined to speak up when they see or hear something that is not in line with the Creed and university expectations,” Sutton Noss said. The open letter was reissued last month.
For information about the Max Gruver Foundation or Timothy J. Piazza Memorial Foundation, visit https://www.maxgruverfoundation.com/ and https://www.liveliketim.org/, respectively.
To report concerning behavior in a campus organization, complete the Hazing Report Form at http://umatter.olemiss.edu/hazinginfo/.