I grew up in a Penn State family. My dad was born and raised in Bellefonte, a small town about fifteen minutes from University Park. Summers in my childhood were spent in Happy Valley; autumn pretty much revolved around Penn State Football.

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I probably knew the words to “Hail to the Lion” before I knew “the Star Spangled Banner.”

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So, needless to say, there haven't been many times in my years of attending a Penn State campus where I haven't been proud to be associated with the community that I was brought up belonging to.

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This past week, many of the reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, and involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped in the Beta Theta Pi hazing trial. This made me want to speak out against some traditions of an institution that I have always loved.

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As a disclaimer, I'm not trying to sound preachy, and I'm not trying to criticize Greek Life. Excessive drinking is a reality of any college campus, and, because I have never had a desire to join a sorority myself, I don't really think I'm in any place to speak out about something I don't fully understand.

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That being said, though none of us can ever be sure what happened in the basement the night Timothy Piazza died (because the surveillance tapes are missing), the reality of the situation speaks for itself.

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Yes, it was an accident. Yes, it could have happened anywhere.

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But, as college students who tend to act recklessly, we have a responsibility to take care of one another. The brothers who oversaw Piazza’s hazing were not acting in his best interest, instead supporting reckless, irresponsible, and ultimately deadly behavior.

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After reading the complete account of what happened that night in the released findings, the account of not only the gauntlet implemented but every action that followed made me feel sick to my stomach.

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I am disgusted and ashamed at the lack of humanity in this case. The sheer amount of alcohol consumed that night, the actions that Piazza’s brothers took to attempt to keep him alive--such as administering a sternal rub and pouring water on his face, and refusing to call 911. They ignored his poor conditions, pushing the brother who suggested to call 911 against the wall and forcing him to leave.  By the time they called for help, Piazza’s skin was said to be “ashen.”

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Pledge ceremonies and rituals that require young, impressionable men looking to impress the older fraternity brothers to drink themselves into an unmanageable state are absurd. They’re an excessive outlet for college stereotypes.  They’re deadly and unnecessary.

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I know that Penn State administration didn’t drop the charges themself, but that doesn’t change the fact that eighteen Penn State fraternity brothers are going to get away with letting a freshman boy die in front of them. Those boys chose to act with their own best interests in mind--avoiding an underage, avoiding making their fraternity look bad--instead of protecting the safety of another human.

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Honestly, “may no act of ours bring shame” really takes on a whole new meaning now.