As the sniffling of students associated with fraternity and sorority life echoed throughout the KSU Convocation Center, Evelyn Piazza explained how her family had to make the hardest choice of their lives — to turn off the life support keeping her son, Timothy Piazza, alive.
In February 2017, Penn State University student Timothy Piazza died from injuries sustained from falling down stairs multiple times during a Beta Theta Pi event after drinking toxic levels of alcohol. Timothy Piazza’s death led to 18 fraternity members being indicted.
A few months later, in September 2017, Maxwell Gruver died from acute alcohol intoxication after being found unresponsive by Phi Delta Theta members at their Louisiana State University fraternity house. Gruver’s blood-alcohol content was more than six times the legal driving limit that night.
“Max was ready to start the next chapter of his life, but the next chapter was very short-lived,” Rae Ann Gruver said of her son’s fatal journey to pledging.
Sharing their sons’ stories to spread awareness about the fatal realities of hazing led them to Kennesaw State on Monday, Nov. 5, to lead “Tragedy into Progress,” a public discussion about the effects of hazing on Greek life communities and students.
The event, organized by the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life, began with excerpts from Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life Director Barbre Berris and Vice President for Student Affairs Kathleen White.
Shortly after, the event welcomed Juliana Piazza, a KSU senior public relations major and niece of Evelyn Piazza. Juliana Piazza spearheaded the connection between the mothers and the Department of Student Life.
Clutching on to tears, Juliana Piazza reminisced about her cousin Timothy Piazza and spoke about the importance of hazing awareness. She explained that her cousin’s fate could be the fate of anyone and that university communities should make themselves aware of issues involving hazing.
“Tim isn’t just my cousin,” Juliana Piazza said. “He is all of Greek life.”
Juliana Piazza then introduced both mothers, Evelyn Piazza and Rae Ann Gruver, to the floor, evoking a cheer from the stands as niece and aunt hugged in empathy.
The two mothers spoke about their respective sons’ ambitions, family life, final memories and tragedy. They also spoke about the statistics and hazing laws, which has claimed 42 deaths in the last decade and six in 2017 alone, according to their presentation.
Rather than standing against Greek life, the Piazza and Gruver families, alongside the Braham family, teamed up with fraternity and sorority organizations across the country to push tougher legislation against hazing and to raise awareness. Marquise Braham was a Penn State student that committed suicide in 2014 after being hazed.
The mothers followed with a presentation that covered types of hazing, consequences, trauma, effects of hazing and the aftermath of the lives affected.
Rae Ann Gruver concluded the event with a quote from a paper that Max wrote when he was 16 years old — “God works in funny ways. He does bad things sometimes because, in the end, they are good. Something bad can happen to you, but it may happen because it will make you better. He does bad to ultimately create good.”
The stop at KSU is one of many efforts the Piazza and Gruver families are making to stand alongside national sorority and fraternity organizations to expunge hazing, not just in the Greek community, but for all campus-based groups.
“I do understand that most people believe that hazing only impacts students, but that’s so far from the truth,” Berris said. “The amount of people that have actually been hazed by the time they get into college is astounding and if so, if hazing is affecting you by the time you get to college, it actually has nothing to do with Greek life.”
