>> Martha: DEVELOPING
TONIGHT LOUISIANA STATE
UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCING THEY
WILL ENACT ZERO TOLERANCE
POLICY FOR HAZING.
IT COMES AFTER THE DEATH OF
MAXWELL GRUVER THE
18-YEAR-OLD FRESHMAN ON THE
BATON ROUGE CAMPUS JUST 29
DAYS BEFORE HE DIED WHILE HE
WAS PLEDGING PIA DELTA
THETA.
MAX'S PARENTS STEVE AND RAY
AN AT HIS HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATION WITH HIM.
THEY SPOKE TO HIM BEFORE HE
LEFT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF
HAZING.
THEY EVEN WARNED HIM ABOUT
WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO YOUNG
TIMOTHY PIAZA.
THE PENN STATE SOPHOMORE WHO
DIED IN 2017 AFTER BEING
LEFT UNRESPONSIVE FOR 12
HOURS AT HIS FRATERNITY
HOUSE BEFORE ANY OF HIS
SO-CALLED BROTHERS PICKED UP
THE PHONE TO CALL FOR HELP.
SO NOW THE GRUVERS AND THE
PIAZAS ARE JOINING VOICES
WITH OTHERS TO MAKE THEIR
VOICES HEARD TO COLLEGE
LEADERSHIP AND TO STUDENTS
ACROSS THIS COUNTRY.
>> MAX WAS A GENTLE GIANT.
HE HAD AN INFECTIOUS LAUGH
THAT YOU KNOW, HE SHOOK WITH
HIS SHOULDERS EVERY TIME HE
LAUGHED AND GAVE THE BIGGEST
HUGS.
AND HE WAS A GOOF BALL.
HE LOVED LSU.
HE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET
THERE.
AND HE WAS READY AND WE WERE
READY TO LET HIM GO AND
EXPERIENCE THAT PART OF HIS
LIFE.
WE NEVER EXPECTED WHAT
HAPPENED TO HIM TO HAPPEN.
♪
>> THEY HAD HIM IN A ROOM
THAT WAS BLACK, DARK, WITH
STROBE LIGHTS GOING ON.
LOUD MUSIC.
AND THEY WOULD ASK HIM
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
FRATERNITY OR RECITE OUT
GREEK ALPHABET AND IF HE GOT
IT WRONG THEN THEY WOULD
HAVE YOU JUST BASICALLY
TAKE, I GUESS THE HANDLE OR
BOTTLE OF ALCOHOL AND TURN
IT UP AND CONTINUE TO DRINK
UNTIL THEY TOLD YOU TO STOP.
HIS BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT
WAS .496 THE FOLLOWING DAY.
SO THAT NIGHT IT HAD TO BE A
LOT HIGHER.
>> I'M HERE BECAUSE WE KEEP
SAYING YOU NEED TO SEE
SOMETHING.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY
SOMETHING.
AND I SAW MY SON IN A COFFIN
AND NOW I'M SAYING SOMETHING
ABOUT IT.
HE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN
THAT COFFIN.
IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED.
AND WE'RE GOING TO DO
EVERYTHING WE CAN TO CHANGE
WHY THAT HAPPENED.
>> I'M HERE BECAUSE WE NEED
TO MAKE A CHANGE.
WE NEED TO STOP HAZING ALL
TOGETHER IN FRATERNITIES,
SPORTS, AND OTHER WALKS OF
LIFE.
>> I'M HERE BECAUSE THERE IS
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS.
I THINK TOGETHER WE CAN BE A
POWERFUL FORCE.
NOBODY IS WEARING A TOGA AND
SWALLOWING A GOLD FISH.
THIS IS HARD ALCOHOL.
THIS IS HANDELS.
THIS IS CRUSHING GLASS AND
DOING PLANKS ON BROKEN
GLASS.
THIS IS GETTING BRANDED.
THIS IS FIGHTING EACH OTHER
LIKE A FIGHT CLUB.
THIS IS WRONG.
THIS IS NOT TRADITION.
>> WHEN TIM'S STORY CAME OUT
SUCH.
>> PIAZZA DIED IN THE
HOSPITAL FEBRUARY 4TH FROM
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND
SHATTERED SPLEEN.
PROSECUTORS BELIEVE HE COULD
HAVE SURVIVED HAD
AUTHORITIES BEEN CALLED
SOONER.
>> THEN SEVEN MONTHS LATER
MAX HAPPENED AND IT KEPT
PEOPLE TALKING.
>> 18-YEAR-OLD MAXWELL
GRUVER, AN LSU FRESHMAN FROM
ROSEWELL, GEORGIA WAS RUSHED
FROM THE FRATERNITY HOUSE
AND DIED AT THE HOSPITAL.
>> AND, YOU KNOW,
UNFORTUNATELY SEVEN WEEKS
LATER WAS ANOTHER BOY ANDREW
COFFEE IS SEVEN WEEKS LATER
IT KEPT PEOPLE TALKING.
>> NINE MEN ARE NOW FACING
CHARGES IN CONNECTION WITH
TO THE HAZING DEATH OF A
FLORIDA STATE FRATERNITY
PLEDGE.
20-YEAR-OLD ANDREW COFFEY
DIED IN NOVEMBER.
HIS BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS
REPORTEDLY FIVE TIMES THE
LEGAL LIMIT TO DRIVE.
>> WE HAVE BEEN TRUST
>> WE HAVE BEEN THRST
>> WE HAVE BEEN THRUST INTO
THIS POSITION NOT BY OUR
CHOICE BUT IT IS OUR CHOICE
TO BE HERE BECAUSE WE FEEL
OBLIGATED TO PREVENT THIS
FROM HAPPENING TO OTHER
PEOPLE.
AND WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO
THE GRUVERS, AND TO THE
COFFEYS AND THE ELLISS, IT
WAS LIKE A KNIFE THROUGH THE
HEART THAT WERE WE NOT
SPEAKING OUT LOUD ENOUGH,
WERE PEOPLE NOT LISTENING?
WE NEED TO SPEAK OUT MORE
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO STOP IT.
>> IF TIM SAW WHAT DEVELOPED
FROM HIS STORY, HE WOULD
HAVE LOOKED AT IT AND HE
WOULD HAVE BEEN APPALLED AT
HOW HE WAS TREATED.
HE WOULD HAVE BEEN APPALLED
AT THE INDIFFERENCE TO HIS
LIFE THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE
BETA FETA PIA FRATERNITY
SHOWED TOWARDS HIM.
I WOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION
AND SAID TIM, THAT'S NOT
YOU.
YOU DON'T NEED TO BE JOINING
A FRATERNITY.
I THINK HE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN
IT PRETTY EASILY.
THAT'S NOT WHO HE WAS.
THAT'S NOT WHAT HE DID.
>> I THINK HE WOULD SAY HE
WAS SORRY.
I THINK HE WOULD FEEL BAD
THAT THIS HAPPENED, THAT HE
WOULD THINK THAT HE LET US
DOWN.
>> BUT HE DIDN'T LET US
DOWN.
THE PEOPLE THAT KILLED HIM
LET US DOWN.
I THINK HE WOULD BE LOOKING
DOWN ON US AND HE WOULD BE
PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE
CARRYING THIS TORCH AND
HOPEFULLY SAVING OTHER
PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE.
PEOPLE ARE LISTENING AND THE
DIFFERENCE IS BEING MADE.
AND I THINK TIM WOULD LOOK
DOWN AND HE WOULD BE HAPPY
AND SAY KEEP GOING.
THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO.
>> WE FOUND A PASSAGE THAT
MAX HAD WRITTEN IN A JOURNAL
THAT SAID GOD WORKS IN FUNNY
WAYS.
HE SOMETIMES DOES BAD TO
ULTIMATELY CREATE GOOD.
AND WE FELT THAT SPREADING
THE WORD IS HOW WE ARE GOING
TO CREATE THAT GOOD FROM
MAX'S PASSING.
>> I THINK HE WOULD GIVE ME
ONE OF HIS BIG HUGS AND HE
WOULD BE LIKE MOM, I LOVE
YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU.
>> WE'RE GOING TO STAY ON
THIS STORY.
WE TALK ABOUT STUDENTS BEING
KILLED IN SCHOOLS.
THESE ARE STUDENTS WHO ARE
BEING KILLED ON CAMPUSES BY,
IN PART BY THE ACTS OF THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO