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April 9, 2021
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Dear First name (firstName),
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On March 5, our University learned of an awful incident at a Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity off-campus event the night before. This led to the tragic passing of our student Stone Foltz.
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As president, I am saddened that our community has had such deep loss. As a father of two sons, this is every parent’s worst nightmare.
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We immediately placed the fraternity on interim suspension as we launched a thorough and fair investigation to seek the truth and facts and hold those accountable who are responsible for this tragedy. The findings against the organization are clear.
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Today, Bowling Green State University has decided to immediately expel Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. This is permanent loss of recognition – the fraternity will never again be recognized at the University in the future.
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The University found the organization responsible for all six previously charged policy violations of the Code of Student Conduct. This expulsion is because of hazing, which is absolutely intolerable. The University's investigation found the fraternity to be reckless with a disregard for the health and safety of our community.
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This investigation also revealed a deep culture of deception rooted in the organization, filled with dishonesty and disrespect for our community. The University's current investigation created a new window into a previous conduct incident involving alcohol and the fraternity in 2018. While BGSU took swift action then to investigate, it is now clear that in a coordinated effort, members of this organization repeatedly lied. BGSU reported that suspicious incident to Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity headquarters. They placed the chapter on probation at that time, issued a fine, and required educational programming and anti-hazing trainings, in addition to the robust programming BGSU already has in place. Despite hazing accountability measures, the chapter still knowingly and intentionally engaged in activities that were found to be unsafe, high-risk and strictly prohibited by the University and the law.
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Some say this happens at every university, but we at BGSU must do better. This semester, we are implementing new and enhanced anti-hazing educational programs. We will implement stronger accountability and immediately notify law enforcement of hazing reports. We will work with our students so they can personally identify hazing. We will enhance our education and improve anonymous reporting of hazing to ensure all members of our community – our students, faculty, staff, parents and families – know how to report. We will be more transparent and will launch a scorecard to document past findings of hazing. Together, we will build one-on-one relationships with every student involved in organizations to ensure they have a trusted coach to turn to.
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Our goal is clear. Our students – all of us – are deserving of a safe community. We must step up to shape this culture and be a leader in anti-hazing efforts. We owe it to Stone and to one another to rebuild our community. We must act. We must, and we will, find a way forward.
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Regards,
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Rodney K. Rogers, Ph.D.
President
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