After a student died at a Penn State fraternity hazing ritual in 2017, the former president and vice president of the fraternity were sentenced to jail time and probation. Brendan Young and Daniel Casey received two to four months in prison for their roles in the hazing event where Timothy Piazza died after consuming large amounts of alcohol. The two men each pleaded guilty to hazing and reckless endangerment charges.
The incident led to widespread outrage over fraternity culture and hazing practices on college campuses. More than two dozen fraternity members initially faced charges, with some being accused of involuntary manslaughter. The case sparked school policy reforms and a national anti-hazing campaign.
Piazza, an engineering student from New Jersey, died after consuming excessive alcohol at a bid acceptance event at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house. Security footage showed Piazza drinking large quantities of alcohol and falling multiple times. Fraternity members failed to seek medical help for him until the next morning, leading to his death.
His tragic passing prompted Penn State to implement policy changes and permanently ban the Beta Theta Pi fraternity chapter. The Piazza family was instrumental in passing the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law, which imposes stricter penalties for hazing incidents. Piazza’s memory lives on through the Timothy J. Piazza Memorial Foundation and the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform at Penn State.
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