BGSU students protest after alleged hazing death
Students say they want to see changes to Greek life and university policies so another young life isn’t lost.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) - Dozens of students at Bowling Green State University held a silent protest Tuesday to demand change following the death of fellow student Stone Foltz.
Foltz, 20, died Sunday after participating in an alleged hazing activity off campus, involving alcohol with the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
Students gathered Tuesday outside the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity on the university’s campus for a moment of silence before marching to McFall Hall, home to the office of University President Rodney Rogers.
“It should not have taken for a person to die to bring any sort of change,” said Aarian Lynn, a student at Bowling Green State University. “We need in-depth training on what hazing is, how to identify it, and how to report it.”
Students in attendance held signs and made short speeches calling for change to campus policies regarding hazing and Greek life. They say they want to see change happen so another young life is not lost.
“I came out today to protest the general culture that Greek life has created that allows these sort of incidents to occur,” said BGSU student Katie Linger.
“It’s really heartbreaking to witness the university give this fraternity a slap on the wrist,” said Lynn.
The fraternity has been suspended and authorities are investigating the incident.
Tuesday evening BGSU leadership released a statement saying, in part, “Nearly 75 students from across our community came together today to grieve the tragic loss of Stone Foltz and peacefully express their voices. Many of them shared personal experiences and concerns. We hear them. We support them, and we share in their outrage about the alleged hazing activity from Thursday night. Hazing in any form has no place at BGSU.”
A GoFundMe account set up in Stone’s memory has raised nearly $35,000 as of Wednesday morning.
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