Penn State announced its Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life will work with RISE Partnerships to review the state of Greek life at Penn State and the effect of changes made after the 2017 hazing death of Tim Piazza.

After Piazza’s death, the university implemented several changes to its Greek life laws. Penn State said partnering with RISE “will bring an external perspective and expertise that will provide the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life with information about Penn State’s strengths and opportunities, benchmarking data from peer institutions, and recommendations to enhance the sorority and fraternity community.”

RISE, a consulting firm specializing in Greek life and university issues, will provide what Penn State called a “holistic approach” in looking at the university’s work with Greek life.

Piazza was a Penn State sophomore pledging Beta Theta Pi at the time of his death. Piazza died after falling down a staircase while heavily intoxicated. Beta Theta Pi brothers failed to provide Piazza proper medical attention for hours after the incident, leading to his death.

“We continually seek to enhance the fraternity and sorority experience. Utilizing RISE to provide an external, neutral review of our programs and initiatives will allow us to evaluate our current efforts and identify opportunities for the future,” Darcy Rameker, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, said. “The university looks forward to beginning this collaboration with RISE and our fraternity and sorority community in the coming weeks and the continued work throughout the remainder of the 2024-25 academic year.”

Penn State said it would consider altering policies based on RISE’s review and recommendations. A summary of the RISE report will become available when available.