Page A12 September 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A www.vischerfuneralsupplies.com Call 651-450-7727 to request a wholesale catalog, Our Extra-Large Cremains Bags (13”x 15”) are perfectly sized for the Standard Plastic Human Service Urn. or visit UrnBags.com to order some bags. Just $2.90 each*. * Bags sold in multiples of 10 Choose from Black, Blue, or Burgundy J t $3.10 each* Choose fr m Black, Blue, rgundy, Green or Gray Foltz’s family has sued Bowling Green University claiming that the school has never acknowledged fraternity hazing violations and are more interested in the income received by fraternity alumni and the fraternities. Bowling Green banned the fraternity. Hazing, defined by the Legal Dictionary is: “Hazing is a common practice in college sororities and fraternities, as well as military groups, sports teams, and gangs, which involves subjecting a potential member to a series of humiliating or abusive activities as a way to initiate him or her into the group. Hazing can be harmless, or it can have serious, long-term consequences, such as physical or psychological abuse. Hazing is typically against the law.” This practice has gone on for much of history in different setting. In 1873, a Cornell University student fell to his death. He was taken out in the wilderness at night blindfolded and told to make it home. He and the other pledges removed their blindfolds, but Mortimer Leggett thought the end of the slope was a road, it was a 37-foot cliff. Leggett was killed. In 1892, a Kenyon College student in Ohio was killed in an initiation on railroad tracks and hit by an unscheduled train. The fraternity claimed he fell asleep on the tracks, but the coroner determined he was tied to the tracks. Nolte McElroy, a student at the University of Texas at Austin died in 1928 in his initiation to Delta Kappa Epsilon. A part of the ritual was to crawl over electrically charged bed springs; the danger was McElroy’s wet pajamas. He collapsed and died a short time later. Legislation has been proposed many times over the years. It usually gets defeated or so watered down, that it is ineffective, REACH Act legislation would define hazing and require colleges to report incidents. Virginia Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine cosponsored The Report and Educate About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act, S. 744, H.R. 2525, which is led by Minnesota’s Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Louisiana’s Sen. Bill Cassidy, and many other colleagues to address hazing on college campuses. Good intentions have been overtaken by reckless and criminal behavior by fraternities. The practice must end, legislation of all hazing should be enacted to stop the practice. Until then, more promising young lives, laying out an auspicious future, will die over a fraternity initiation. “There will be no closure for our family until hazing is permanently eradicated on college campuses.” —Shari and Cory Foltz, testifying about their son, Stone Observations “They represent all walks of life with a common bond, their children died violently during irrational rituals. They are altruistic people determined that no other parent suffer such a catastrophic loss.” —Hank Nuwer, Franklin College professor, at a retreat for parents whose children died during hazing rituals Adam Oak’s funeral at Christian Fellowship in Ashburn, Virginia was a remembrance of his kindness to others. One friend reminisced: “At my high school, there’s a girl crying, sitting on the floor in the hallway. Everyone walked by, just like nothing was going on. No one had the courage to go up to accompany her, but Adam did,” he said. “Adam sat right down next to her and cheered her up.” Adam, only 19 years old, found that some “friends” were not so kind. He was a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University. Adam wanted to join the Delta Chi fraternity to be part of the college community and meet friends. He chose Delta Chi. He was to be assigned a big brother for an initiation party. The initiation consisted of him consuming a large bottle of whiskey. Adam, in his eagerness to be a fraternity brother, drank the whiskey. He passed out on a couch. He was found dead the following morning. The coroner ruled his death alcohol poisoning. Following services, Adam was interred at Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Herndon, Virginia. There have been 281 hazing-related deaths since 1838, according to the Daily Mail. There were three in 2021. Young people looking to be part of a culture, to fulfill a family legacy of fraternity membership or just want to have a “family” of friends die or have been permanently disabled due to the hazing of their initiation. Eight Virginia Commonwealth University students have been charged with Adam’s death. The Delta Chi fraternity was eventually expelled from the university. Danny Santulli, 19, wanted to be a part of the University of Missouri college life. He pledged for Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. The hazing required that Santulli consume large amounts of alcohol. A tube was placed in his mouth and beer flowed and then he was made to drink a bottle of vodka. They left Santulli as he was passed out. Someone walking through the room saw that he was falling off the couch with his face down. They laid him back on the couch and saw he was not reacting at all. The complaint read: “His skin was pale, and his lips were blue, yet no one called 911.” A member of the fraternity eventually realized that Santulli was in distress and drove him to MU Hospital (University of Missouri Healthcare). He was in cardiac arrest; they obtained a By Steven Palmer heartbeat. He was later released, spent months in a rehab, then his parents took him home. Danny Santulli has “massive brain damage.” He has no eyesight, cannot walk and is unable to communicate. The fraternity was closed on college grounds and 13 members were sanctioned. The family is suing those members and the fraternity. Phi Alpha Phi fraternity pledge Phat Nguyen, 21, a business student at Michigan State University attended a pledge party. Three other pledges and Nguyen were found in the basement of the frat house unconscious, wearing only their underwear, covered in vomit and urine. One of the four was bleeding from the nose and convulsing. Police were called at 2 AM. Nguyen was not breathing. His cause of death was alcohol intoxication. A police affidavit read: “At this party, the victims had alcohol poured down their throats and drank until incapacitated. Once the victims were unconscious, party attendees drew on them, slapped their hands and buttocks, and put food on the victims,” the affidavits said. “These actions led to the hospitalization of (three) ‘crossing’ members and the death of (one).” The Doan Law Firm stated this: “Phat Nguyen was pronounced dead at the scene after EMTs attempted to revive the young man. Nguyen was not breathing and was unresponsive at the time emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene. Three other young men at the fraternity house were unconscious when EMTs arrived at the location. They were taken to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. The trio of fraternity brothers were treated and then released from the medical center.” Three students, Ethan Cao (“pledge master”), Andrew Nguyen (“pledge dad”) and fraternity president Hoang Pham are charged with hazing resulting in death and hazing resulting in physical injury. In remembering his son, Stone Foltz, his father said, “He has created a great legacy for himself, and he is truly my hero.” Bowling Green State University student and Pi Kappa Alpha pledge Stone Foltz, at his initiation, was told to drink an entire fifth of bourbon. Other pledges consumed large amounts of alcohol. The fraternity dropped Foltz off at his apartment. His roommate called 911. Foltz died three days later when his family took him off life support. The Life Connection of Ohio was contacted, and they followed what their son would do and donated his organs. His right kidney was transplanted into a teenage girl. His left kidney was given to another young girl. His liver and his lungs went to two different men. His heart was placed in a 20-year-old girl. Other tissue donated will help many others. Five fraternity members received prison sentences. Three received prison time and two received house arrest and community service. The Horrors of Hazing Steven Palmer entered funeral service in 1971. He is an honors graduate of the New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences. He has been licensed on both coasts, he owned theWestcott Funeral Homes of Cottonwood and Camp Verde, AZ, where he remains active in operations. Steve offers his observations on current funeral service issues. Hemay be reachedbymail at POBox 352, Cottonwood, AZ 86326, by phone at (928)634-9566, by fax at (928)634-5156, by e-mail at steve@westcottfuneralhome.comor throughhiswebsite at www.westcottfuneralhome.com or on Facebook. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columnsonline at During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of Hardin running an unlicensed funeral home that exemplified Hardin’s criminal enterprise. In September 2021, Hardin was in the news when the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation removed two bodies from a building he was using for makeshift funeral serves at 1615 E. Livingston Ave. in Columbus. In January, more than 80 created remains were located at 825 East Buchtel Ave. in Akron at Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church. Many of the remains have been identified and returned to family members, although some have yet to be claimed. Hardin was scheduled to be sentenced on August 26th. Man Posing as Funeral Home Director Found Guilty TOLEDO,OH— A Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge found Shawnte Hardin guilty of multiple felony charges for providing funeral services without a license. In total, Hardin was found guilty on 31 charges: one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity; three counts of tampering with records; two counts of telecommunications fraud; one count of operating an unlicensed funeral home; one count of possessing criminal tools; six counts of abuse of a corpse; eight counts of representation of a funeral director while unlicensed; four counts of passing bad checks; two counts of theft; and three counts of failure to file taxes. The case was heard by a judge after the defendant waived his right to have the case heard by a jury. Hardin operated several businesses in Lucas, Cuyahoga, Summit and Franklin counties. The business names included Hussain Funeral Directors, Celebration of Life Memorial Chapels, Hardin Funeral Home, Inc., American Mortuary Services and Transportation, and Shawnte Davon Hardin Services, LLC. The original charges filed in the case accounted for crimes committed in each of the counties as part of a continuing course of criminal activity. @Nomis.Publications Like us on
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