The Conversation
A Death at Penn State
In November, Caitlin Flanagan wrote about how Tim Piazza, 19, was fatally injured at a Penn State fraternity party.
Caitlin Flanagan’s stellar article was tragic but not at all shocking. I have taught at a state university for many years. Expecting a university to adequately monitor fraternity activities is like expecting the NFL to deal with concussions. Parents are finally preventing their kids from playing football, and parents of college-age young men should prohibit them from joining fraternities.
Naomi Rachel
“A Death at Penn State” shows that the usual measures—officially banning hazing, creating commissions, and giving serious-sounding speeches—do not work. I have a modest proposal that should discourage at least some hazing: University presidents should require chapters to insure pledges to the extent of the average lifetime earnings that their college boasts for its graduates. Insurance companies could determine risk levels based on individual schools and fraternities. The cost of
