By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Bowling Green State University Board of Trustees has been involved since the beginning with the university’s response to the death of Stone Foltz, said Betty Montgomery, who chairs the board.
On the night when police responded to a call to the 20-year-old sophomore’s apartment because he was unresponsive, the trustees were meeting in Bowling Green. They were informed of the incident the next morning, March 5.
Foltz died on March 7 following preparations for his organs and tissue to be donated.
The Lucas County Coroner’s office has determined he died of alcohol poisoning “during a hazing incident.” The death was ruled “accidental” and related to “a college induction ritual.”
The Foltz family attorneys Rex Elliott and Sean Alto issued a statement on the coroner’s findings. “The Lucas County Coroner’s autopsy report provides valuable information regarding the cause of Stone Foltz’s death. Without question, he died as a result of a college fraternity induction ritual. The statement that his death was accidental—without any witness interviews or evidence about Stone being forced to drink an entire handle of whiskey—has no value and doesn’t impact anything criminally. Stone’s death at the hands of fraternity members hazing him and other pledges was both deliberate and reckless and we will not stop until justice is done and this type of behavior never occurs again on a college campus in this country.”
Montgomery said that the trustees’ executive committee has been very much involved in the university’s response and has met twice with Cory and Shari Foltz, the student’s parents.
“Transparency” is front and center of how the university has been dealing with the death. They are addressing it with thoroughness and fairness in a workmanlike manner. So far 22 witnesses have been interviewed, Montgomery said. The university has retained former U.S. Attorney David DeVillers as special counsel to assist with the investigation.
Montgomery said she dealt with a fraternity incident during her time as Wood County prosecutor and recalled a two-three month grand jury investigation.
While the university is conducting its own investigation in regard to the university code of conduct, local law enforcement is handling the criminal investigation.
“There will be investigation on the criminal side by the prosecutors and county,” said President Rodney Rogers. “That’s under their purview. We certainly don’t want to do anything to compromise that investigation.”
“I have no doubt that appropriate charges will be filed on appropriate people when the time and evidence reveals that should be done,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery also addressed a letter to the editor published by Falcon Media from a trustee. In response to an opinion piece calling for abolishing the Greek system on campus, Howard Traul II defended fraternities and criticized the student-run media outlet for publishing the anonymous commentary.
Montgomery said she learned of Traul’s letter the morning it was posted, and she issued her own statement disavowing it. Traul’s fellow trustees knew nothing about his letter before it was posted, she said. “Our statement makes it clear we are very much dedicated to get to the bottom of this, wherever the facts take us, wherever the facts go.”
The administration is working on developing strategies toward Greek Life.
Rogers praised student leadership, including from Greek life, for responding quickly to the crisis.
“This is a wakeup call,” Rogers said. “We need to find different ways to do what we have in the past.”
Students agreed with the administration “putting a pause on Greek Life.”
Rogers said only chapters that agree to meet “certain sorts of criteria … would be restarted on a very limited basis, a very limited basis.”
Pi Kappa Alpha has been charged with six student code violations relating to hazing, harm to others, and serving alcohol. Rogers said representatives of the fraternity met with the administration Tuesday morning.
University spokesperson Alex Solis released a brief statement regarding the meeting. “Bowling Green State University’s meeting with Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity occurred Tuesday. The fraternity declined to move forward with a hearing.”
Rogers told Faculty Senate that “we will follow the procedures we have in place.”
Montgomery noted that all Greek organizations had agreed to adhere to regulations, and signed those agreements. Yet “the students have continued in some of these behaviors,” she added. “You think you’ve done everything you can to take care of things,” but there’s “no way to take care of some maturity questions except to try to educate, educate, educate.”
