Penn State To Eliminate Greek Life Oversight Put In Place After Timothy Piazza's Death

STATE COLLEGE, PA — In the midst of controversies over what critics say are broken promises about addressing racial justice, Penn State University is eliminating the oversight on Greek life which it instituted following the hazing death of Timothy Piazza in 2017.

The change was first reported in an investigation by Spotlight PA, which obtained an internal memo detailing the shift. The memo said it was time to "recalibrate" relationships with fraternities and sororities and move "away from University monitoring and intervention."

In a statement to Patch, Penn State did not clarify their reason for the changes.

"The University remains committed to the safety of all Penn State students and any changes in Greek life at Penn State would only be put into place after carefully considering how they would impact the well-being of our students," said Lisa M. Powers, the senior director of Strategic Communications at Penn State.

Spotlight's report says the university will no longer regularly monitor houses, and will allow first semester recruitment, among other changes. The university claimed that the changes put in after Piazza's death were not permanent, although Piazza's father and other advocates indicated that they believed Penn State's measures were reforms, not temporary announcements in the wake of a widely publicized tragedy that brough the nation's eyes bearing down once again on State College.

While the university appears to be moving forward with a new chapter of less closely monitored Greek life, Piazza's family and other victims of hazing are not moving on and remain committed to advocacy.

"It has been 6 years since we lost Tim," Tim's father, Jim Piazza, wrote on Feb. 3 in a Facebook post on the foundation created in his son's name. "Perhaps some believe it is time to move on. But the Piazza family can never move on. Losing Tim in this senseless manor is a loss to all of us. No parent should ever live this. None of us can move on. We must find our part to be involved. Encourage your kids to get involved. To look out for each other. If you see a person who may need help-never look the other way. MAKE THE CALL."

The change, which comes under Penn State's new administration, is not the first abrupt course reversal from a previously stated committment. The university promised to create a Center for Racial Justice following the social upheaval of 2020, and protests for racial equity on campus. But in Nov. 2022 they scrapped those plans, saying that they would instead seek to "identify" existing diversity initiatives and fund them. They did not publicly say budgetary concerns led to the decision to renege on their commitment, but reports indicate money was the chief delay in finding a leader for the Center and moving forward with the project.