The fraternity Beta Theta Pi had a ritual that lead to the death of 19-year-old sophomore pledge, Tim Piazza. The fraternity practiced a hazing drinking game called ‘The Guantlet,’ where pledges would consume four to five alcoholic beverages in under two minutes. It’s become some form of debate as to whether the fraternity was to blame for Piazza’s death. Personally, I feel the members, not the fraternity, were responsible due to their own actions and choices made. I believe it was the right thing to do to file charges. Here's why:
1. The alarming amount of alcohol supplied by the fraternity members.
Police found receipts in the fraternity house adding up to $1,179 worth of alcohol, with members contributing up to $250 to help pay for the liquor. The proclaimed 'dry' fraternity did not allow alcohol in their house or at their events and breaking this rule would mean being kicked out of the fraternity itself.
2. They witnessed Piazza suffer numerous different incidents of head trauma and refrained from calling help.
Piazza fell down the stairs landing on his head and was carried upstairs, had two members physically fall on him while unconscious, rolled off the couch, was thrown back on the couch, punched in the abdomen by another frat brother, slammed his head into the wooden floor, attempted to stand a second time and landed face on the floor once again, fell and landed on a stone floor after hitting his head on an iron railing, and when being moved to another room he fell down three steps and was left there by the person moving him.
3. No one called for an ambulance until twelve hours after his first fall down the stairs.
Piazza was carried up the stairs at 10:47 p.m., was found at 10:00 a.m., and 911 was called at 10:48 a.m. That is an unreasonably long amount time to avoid calling for an ambulance.
4. Piazza’s behavior clearly demonstrated that of head trauma and not of alcohol poisoning but either way help should have been called.
Honestly, they should have gotten him help in both cases; head trauma and alcohol poisoning are both pretty dangerous. But seriously, he was knocked unconscious from a head first fall where dumping water on him and slapping him in the face wouldn’t wake him, showed bruising on the side where he landed in the fall, displayed vomiting and twitching, laid in the fetal position with his knees tucked up against his chest, cradled his head while on his knees and balancing his elbows on the floor, was unable to stand resulting in several more head injuries, and was finally found the next morning with heavy breathing and blood on his face. How did it only occur to one person that he needed to go to a hospital?
5. They destroyed evidence.
They threw out any signs of alcohol in their fraternity house, deleted messages in their ‘GroupMe,’ they lied about where they found him, and never mentioned his fall of him hitting his head. This is the behavior of people who were well aware they should have acted sooner.
Of course, it is only my opinion that it was right for charges to be filed and people are more than welcome to read further and form their own opinions. For more information, you can visit the following websites:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/us/pennsylvania-frat-death-charges/