COLUMBUS, Ohio — The household of a scholar who died from alcohol poisoning whereas pledging to a fraternity has reached a $2.9 million settlement with Bowling Inexperienced State College.
The legal professional for Stone Foltz’s household referred to as the settlement “the biggest payout by a public college in a hazing case in Ohio historical past.”
As a part of the settlement, the household and the college each stated they are going to work to handle and get rid of hazing on faculty campuses.
Either side stated in a joint assertion issued Monday that they are going to be eternally impacted by his loss of life:
“The Foltz household and Bowling Inexperienced State College are eternally impacted by the tragic loss of life of Stone Foltz. This decision retains the Foltz household and BGSU neighborhood from reliving the tragedy for years to return within the courtroom and permits us to give attention to furthering our shared mission of eradicating hazing in Ohio and throughout the nation. Main these efforts in our communities is the actual work that honors Stone.”
Stone Foltz, who graduated from Buckeye Valley Excessive College in 2019, died of alcohol poisoning after a fraternity initiation occasion wherein he was hazed into consuming a whole bottle of whiskey in March 2021. He was discovered unconscious by a roommate after members of the Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity dropped him off at his condo. Foltz died three days later.
After the hazing loss of life, Bowling Inexperienced expelled Pi Kappa Alpha and stated it might by no means once more be acknowledged on campus. The college additionally developed a plan to handle anti-hazing efforts, together with hiring a prevention coordinator and making it simpler for college kids to inform the varsity about hazing.
Cory and Shari Foltz sued the college in June 2022, claiming that BGSU ignored hazing inside Greek organizations, together with the fraternity Stone was pledging to earlier than a hazing ritual involving alcohol prompted his loss of life.
BGSU knew about Pi Kappa Alpha’s historical past of hazing, together with the hazing ritual that killed Stone on the age of 20, the grievance alleged.
Foltz’s mother and father believed if it weren't for the college’s “gross recklessness, lax insurance policies, lax enforcement of these insurance policies,” Foltz would nonetheless be alive.
For Cory and Shari, the aim of the lawsuit was to deliver change at BGSU and faculty campuses throughout the nation in the case of fraternities.
"We really are demanding that there is elevated schooling to college students about hazing. We would like extra transparency, for folks," Cory stated. "We would like Greek Life organizations to be held to a zero tolerance. And we would like the person college leaders to take motion instantly. We won't simply wait, this must occur now."
The Foltz household has began a basis targeted on hazing schooling. Of their lawsuit, his mother and father accused the varsity of failing to cease hazing in fraternities and sororities regardless of being conscious of it.
The household stated they've tried working with BGSU for greater than a 12 months to provide you with some kind of decision. Cory and Shari felt as in the event that they needed to come to the choice of the lawsuit.
"We've to get that change to happen first. And you realize, all the things has been reactive at this level. And if we're not going to be preventive, and make a change, then it'll want to return from the college presidents and the boards," Shari stated. "In any other case, we're simply going to proceed to be reactive and one other loss of life goes to happen, and you may't react after the loss of life. We have to have change now."
BGSU initially launched an announcement that claims whereas Foltz's loss of life is a tragedy, the lawsuit is "meritless and undermines" the college's efforts to cease hazing.
College officers stated on Monday that along with the $2.9 million payout, BGSU is partnering with the Foltz household to get rid of hazing throughout the nation.