By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The family of Stone Foltz is suing Bowling Green State University over the sophomore’s hazing death in March 2021.
The suit, on behalf of Shari Foltz, the student’s mother and administrator of his estate, has been filed in Ohio Court of Claims.
In a statement issued by the law firm Cooper & Elliott, Cory and Shari Foltz contend: “We promised Stone that we would end hazing on college campuses for good. By filing a complaint against Bowling Green State University, we are doing what is necessary to hold people in power accountable for their woeful inactions to keep students safe and reckless disregard for illegal activity.”
The complaint maintains that BGSU knew about hazing within the Greek system and still “enthusiastically endorses Greek life to parents and students.”
The suit seeks in excess of $25,000 in damages, the minimum required to file a claim but adds that the plaintiff “will seek a Judgment of substantially more at trial to reflect the value of the loss of this young life.”
“What happened to our son at Bowling Green State University is not unique” the family stated. “Students across the country will continue to experience humiliation, injury and death from hazing without immediate change. We demand increased education for students, transparency for parents, zero-tolerance policies for Greek organizations and immediate action from University leaders who have complete control over what happens on their campuses.”
The suit spells out the history of hazing in the Greek system on campus, and specifically at Pi Alpha Kappa, known as PIKE, both at BGSU and nationally. Stone Foltz was a pledge at PIKE when he died of alcohol poisoning following a fraternity initiation ritual.
Despite this history, Stone Foltz and his family were unaware that “PIKE International and the Delta Beta Chapter at BGSU have a deeply engrained history of hazing that permeated the fraternity’s pledge and initiation process. Indeed, when Stone began pledging PIKE, he and his family were unaware of the engrained hazing within the fraternity and its Delta Beta Chapter. Stone pledged the organization to further his networking and future business relationships,” the suit contends.
The suit lists a number of instances of complaints about PIKE and the university’s minimal or lack of response to the issues.
The suit also faults for university for promoting the Greek system, including the construction of the $32.7 million Greek Village in 2016, all the while being aware of a culture of hazing.
BGSU’s webpage on Greek life states that it will “help you make the most of your BGSU experience.”
Attorneys Rex Elliott and Sean Alto said in a statement to the media: “By filing this complaint, we are shining a light on these failings and holding University leaders accountable for their gross recklessness, lax policies or enforcement of those policies, and their inaction in the face of repeated warnings.”
University spokesperson and deputy chief of staff Alex Solis issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit: “Stone Foltz’s death was a tragedy, and what his family has endured is unimaginable. However, this lawsuit is meritless and undermines our continued efforts to eradicate hazing. We are resolved in our legal position, and as a state-supported university, we will defend our community vigorously against this action. This will not deter our goal to continue to foster a community of care that serves our students and their families.”
BGSU will host an anti-hazing summit on campus on Aug. 2.
Cooper Elliott further state: “After representing numerous hazing victims and their families, we know Greek organizations value self-preservation over the safety and well-being of their pledges and members. As such, we demand the immediate suspension of all Greek organizations across the country until they undergo rigorous safety training and demonstrate proper behavior. We also call for an end to all Greek pledge programs because they are an antiquated and useless symbol of the past that has no place in today’s society. Finally, Universities must institute and enforce zero-tolerance policies for hazing. “
According to an article in The Guardian more than 100 students have died in hazing instances since 2000.
According to the paperwork shared by the Cooper Elliott, a judge and case number have yet to be assigned to the case.
Jacob Krinn, 21, Delaware, and Troy Henricksen, 24, of Grove City, guilty of multiple misdemeanor counts were found guilty in May of numerous misdemeanor counts involving hazing and underaged drinking involving the PIKE event that led to Foltz’s death.
