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Former Beta Theta Pi Brother Kordel Davis Talks Hazing Prevention At Mizzou

Former Penn State Beta Theta Pi brother Kordel Davis spoke to a group of fraternity members and alumni at the University of Missouri Saturday, according to The Columbia Missourian. He was invited to speak by a professor and fraternity advisor who had read about the Beta Theta Pi case in The Atlantic.

Davis was at Beta Theta Pi for the bid acceptance night that led to pledge Tim Piazza’s hazing death in February 2017. He appears on surveillance videos about a half hour after Piazza’s first fall down the basement steps, and began visibly gesturing to brothers around Piazza.

Despite his pleas to call 911 or take Piazza to the hospital, other members of the fraternity insisted they had the situation under control. They didn’t call paramedics until the next morning, nearly 12 hours later.

“If I could go back, I would have called 911 myself, but that would have meant going above my vice president and president,” Davis said, according to The Missourian. “I would have gone above them.”

Davis has testified that he experienced his own fall during the fraternity chapter’s September 2016 bid acceptance, and was eventually taken to Urgent Care.

“Pledging can be done in a not so dangerous way. I’m not exactly sure what that looks like now, but the crazy drinking is not really necessary,” Davis said, according to The Missourian.

He suggested strengthening university policies and raising awareness about the dangers of alcohol abuse, as well as amnesty policies that encourage people to seek medical help without fearing legal consequences.

Penn State has already acted on these suggestions in its own right, imposing new regulations on Greek organizations, increasing educational programs for new members, and expanding its own responsible action protocol.

Davis, who has since transferred to Rutgers, was not charged in the criminal case surrounding Piazza’s death, which continues to play out in court. He appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the case just a few days after the original grand jury presentment was released.

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About the Author

Elissa Hill

Elissa was the managing editor of Onward State from 2017-2019. She is from Punxsutawney, PA [insert corny Bill Murray joke here] and considers herself an expert on all things ice cream. Follow her on Twitter (@ElissaKHill) for more corny jokes.

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