A scathing report was released last month by the grand jury in charge of investigating the issue of hazing at Penn State. The report said that the leaders of the university were aware of the problems within the Greek system, but failed to take action. It also noted that a culture of underage drinking and hazing proliferated before the death of Penn State student Tim Piazza, 19, in February. The 236 page report was based on a 10-month investigation.

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Piazza was given an excessive amount of alcohol during a pledge event at the Beta Theta Pi house, fell down a flight of steps and was left for 12 hours before help was called, prosecutors said.

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The Grand Jury found that “hazing within the Greek community” at Penn State is “rampant and pervasive.” It reported that a “number of [Interfraternity Council (IFC)] and Panhellic advisors” defended hazing as “an important fundamental element” of how Greek organizations bond. This, combined with other findings, displayed to the Grand Jury how prevalent hazing rituals are within Greek organizations.

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“...Penn State fraternity hazing is not simply a single-borne illness infecting only one fraternity but a cancer that has spread across the Greek alphabet,” read the report. It also pointed out the failure of disciplinary action from the IFC and the University to deter hazing, but also to the shortcomings of current criminal law. Currently, hazing is a third degree misdemeanor with a maximum of one year incarceration and a $2,500 fine. This being pointed out, the report added, “...it leaves no particularized ability for a prosecutor to pursue any semblance of justice for victims of egregious cases, such as the one currently before the Grand Jury, that result in significant injury or even death.”

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“There is no justice in a fine and maybe probation for the death of a 19-year-old who will never graduate from college; never marry; never serve as his brother’s best man; never introduce his parents to their grandchildren,” read the report. “When young men recklessly leverage someone’s desire for friendship against him and direct him to guzzle enough alcohol to endanger his life so he can aspire to be ‘one of them,’ and it results in his death or serious bodily injury, the crime they face in court should reflect the seriousness of the offense, and not the lowest grade misdemeanor Pennsylvania has in its crime codes.”

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The Grand Jury also focused on the victim-blaming aspects of hazing. Rather than focusing on what Piazza should have or could have done, the people who haze and continue this culture of hazing are the ones at fault. Testimonies from people involved in the case pointed to pledges wanting to be included and accepted, which therefore resulted in them being willing to participate in hazing.

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“If it takes eliminating these dens of depravity that won’t reform their ways, do it,” said Stacy Parks Miller, the Centre County district attorney, at a news conference, according to NBC News. “No fraternity’s existence is worth more than the life of a Tim Piazza.”

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Penn State issued a 69 page response to the report and pointed out that alcohol abuse is not unique to Penn State. It is pervasive on many college campuses and throughout the culture. The Grand Jury report cited the death of a student at Louisiana State University and an alleged sexual assault at Wheaton College as examples of Greek life hazing, so the issue brought up by Penn State was addressed.

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The University also explained what it has done to help the problems within Greek life and the issue of binge-drinking as a whole, such as introducing education and prevention programs.

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Since the death of Piazza, the University has taken a number of steps in an effort to prevent hazing and, ultimately, severe injury or death. Although these problems are not isolated to Penn State, Piazza’s story has become well-known and is inciting change within the Penn State system and likely at other universities.