The parents of Timothy Piazza are calling for the firing of university officials and the expulsion of any students culpable in their son’s death. In a letter to Penn State’s Board of Trustees, James and Evelyn Piazza say failures of university administration led to their son’s death in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity in February. A grand jury investigation alleges Timothy Piazza was forced to drink large quantities of alcohol, and died after fraternity members waited 12 hours to call for help when he fell down a flight of stairs.
The letter from his parents calls for Penn State to support changes to state hazing laws and to create new policies surrounding Greek Life, including the expulsion of anyone who takes part in -- or fails to report -- hazing. The Piazzas called for the expulsion of any student culpable in their son’s death and for the firing of Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims and Tim Bream, the fraternity’s advisor and a Penn State assistant athletic director who lived in the house.
The Penn State Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet Friday to consider new student safety improvements.
