Timothy Piazza would have turned 27 this week. But instead of celebrating his birthday, his parents have been fighting to keep his memory alive and this week, they got a bittersweet victory.
“We kind of feel like we got a little wink from heaven,” said Jim Piazza, Timothy’s father.
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Stop Campus Hazing Act, a bill that could become the first federal law to address hazing nationwide. It’s the kind of legislation that the Piazzas say could help prevent what happened to their son from happening to other students.
“It brings us closer to the transparency that we so desperately need for parents and students that are making decisions about what organizations to join,” said Jim Piazza.
“It’s bittersweet because it won’t help our son or any of the other families that we know but it will hopefully save lives and our kids deaths won’t be in vein,” said Evelyn Piazza.
Tim Piazza was just 19 years old when died in 2017 after a hazing incident at a fraternity party at the Penn State University. Security camera footage captured fraternity members giving Piazza 18 alcoholic drinks in less than 90 minutes. He then fell down the stairs, injured himself and died less than two days later.
“He was the kind of kid that if he observed something like this happening to someone else, all of his friends said he would have been the first one to carry that person to the hospital himself if he had to,” said Jim Piazza. “And that’s really what’s heartbreaking knowing that nobody cared, nobody valued his life and they just you know watched him die essentially after putting him in a state that was irrecoverable.”
The bill is the change the Piazzas have been fighting for since his death. It would require universities to report hazing incidents, create a consistent definition for hazing statistics, and provide hazing prevention programs for students and faculty.
“Hazing is always done with the intent to do cause harm to somebody whether it be embarrassment or physical harm or making them sick, demeaning them in some way,” said Evelyn Piazza. “It may not be a deadly weapon like an automobile, but you give some a handle of alcohol and they’re under duress that is a deadly weapon, so you need to look at hazing in the light that it really is and how dangerous it is.”
Lawmakers say more than 100 students have died on college campus in hazing-related incidents since 2000. Some of those parents of hazing victims were inside the House Gallery Tuesday as both Democrats and Republicans prepared to vote for the bill.
Many of them like Georgia Democrat Lucy McBath got emotional while advocating for the bill on the House Floor.
“It’s about transparency and accountability. Empowering students and families so they can make informed decisions about the schools that they attend or the clubs that they join,” said Rep. McBath. “It’s about ensuring that college remains a place of new beginnings and hope for our children’s future.”
Several others acknowledged the families who have experienced these tragedies and the work they’ve done to fight for change at the state and federal levels.
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“The memories of hundreds of other campus hazing victims by mandating greater transparency in fraternity hazing reporting,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan, R - South Carolina
“In the face of this unspeakable tragedy, Evelyn and Jim [Piazza] have been at the forefront of efforts in Pennsylvania, here in congress and other states around the country about the dangers of hazing,” said Rep. Glenn Thompson, R – Pennsylvania.
As the bill moves to the Senate, the Piazza family said they’re also urging colleges and universities to step up.
“Report to law enforcement when you find a hazing incident and also expel students. Obviously, they are not the type of people that you want in your university so get rid of them,” said Evelyn Piazza.
The Piazzas said they’re also pushing for more states to pass felony hazing laws that include jail time for people who violate them violations.
According to the organization, StopHazing, 44 of the 50 states have anti-hazing laws in place. But these laws vary significantly. The organization says some statutes focus only on hazing at the collegiate level, while others expand to include other groups.
Since his passing, the Piazzas have also set up the Timothy J. Piazza Memorial Foundation in his honor. The organization provides support for children and adults who need prosthetics. His parents say Timothy loves kids and his dream job would have been making prosthetics.
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