Devillers to investigate alleged hazing death at BGSU
Bowling Green State University is bringing in former U.S. Attorney David Devillers to investigate the alleged hazing death of a student earlier this month.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost approved the appointment of Devillers, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern
District of Ohio who now works at the firm of Barnes & Thornburg, to investigate the death of BGSU student Stone Foltz, according to an email sent to students and staff members Friday morning. Devillers retired from the U.S. attorney’s office last month.
“BGSU will complete a thorough and fair investigation, seeking the truth and facts, and holding all students and groups responsible,” Bowling Green
State University President Rodney K. Rogers said in the release.
Foltz, 20, a 2019 graduate of Buckeye Valley High School in Delaware County’s Troy Township, was hospitalized March 5 after an incident at the BGSU chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. He died two days later when he was taken off life support. BGSU officials have since stripped the fraternity of its status as a student organization. Sean Alto, an attorney representing the Foltz family, said Foltz was at an offcampus event organized by the fraternity where he was given “a copious amount of alcohol.”
Foltz was dropped off that night at his apartment by members of the fraternity, known as PIKE, where he was later
found by his roommates, Alto said. The roommates called 911 and Foltz was transported to a hospital in “dire” condition, according to Alto.
Since the incident, Bowling Green is assisting local law enforcement to investigate Foltz’s death and is conducting its own student code of conduct investigation, Rogers said. The president also will host roundtable discussions with students focusing on the university’s anti-hazing efforts.
Bowling Green is also planning to partner with Dyad Strategies, a Florida-based higher education consulting firm, to conduct a review of fraternities, sororities and other student organization.
“BGSU also recognizes that hazing may not be limited to this single incident or group,” Rogers said. “BGSU’S goal is to get a clearer understanding of student life culture, and this external group will provide their report, which will be shared with the community. The University is committed to keeping our community updated regarding this collective process.”
Days following Foltz’s death, state and national lawmakers introduced anti-hazing legislation.
State Sens. Stephanie Kunze, a Hilliard Republican, and Theresa Gavarone, a Bowling Green Republican, introduced Senate Bill 126, also known as Collin’s Law, in the Ohio Senate on March 10. If passed, Collin’s Law will increase legal penalties for hazing, education for college students about hazing and transparency at the university level.
U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-ohio, – along with Lucy Mcbath, D-GA., and U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-LA., and Bob Casey, D-PA., – reintroduced the End All Hazing Act in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week. This bill would require colleges and universities to post instances of hazing that took place on campus or within a student organization on their websites. shendrix@dispatch.com @sheridan120