On Feb. 13, the Office of Student Engagement hosted the iamstonefoltz Foundation to give two talks regarding the impacts of hazing. The event, mandatory for all members of Greek life as part of Kenyon’s annual anti-hazing initiatives, covered the death of Stone Foltz, a fraternity pledge at Bowling Green State University who died following a tragic hazing incident in 2021. 

The iamstonefoltz organization was founded by Stone Foltz’s parents, Cory and Shari Foltz, following the death of their son. Stone Foltz was subjected to extreme hazing practices that included chugging a liter of bourbon (approximately 22 shots) in 20 minutes, resulting in cardiac arrest. Cory and Shari Foltz brought lawsuits against Bowling Green and Pi Kappa Alpha, the fraternity their son pledged. The lawsuits ended in a settlement ordering a $2.9 million payout from the university, the largest payout from a public university in Ohio history, and a $7 million payout from the fraternity and some of its members. 

Ever since, Cory and Shari Foltz have raised awareness about the dangers of hazing and advocated for its eradication at high schools and universities across the country. Stone Foltz’s death, as well as the 2018 death of Ohio State University student Collin Wiant, and the ensuing increase in anti-hazing lobbying efforts ultimately led to the passage of Ohio Senate Bill 126, known as “Collin’s Law.” The law was passed unanimously and made hazing involving drugs or alcohol a third-degree felony, carrying sentences of up to 36 months. 

Both sessions — one at 11:10 a.m. and the other at 6 p.m. — began with Stone Foltz’s aunt DJ Williams, another contributing member of the organization, playing a recording of Stone’s girlfriend’s 911 call immediately following the incident. She could be heard talking to the dispatcher, who asked if she could see him breathing and instructed her to start performing CPR. “Hearing the 911 call made me really feel for the experience of the victims in this incident, and I could sympathize with the pain of this loss,” Sadie Javello ’28 said. 

The presentation continued as Stone Foltz’s parents showed a pyramid of organized activities that could be considered hazing, from least to most severe. For those pledging a sorority or fraternity, this could mean something as small as being asked to wear embarrassing clothing in public or something as severe as being sexually assaulted. “I think what’s publicized and often warned about is the kind of extreme fraternity hazing, but I think it was kind of frightening hearing the kind of mental degradation that often happens in sororities,” Margot Manning ’28 said.

Cory Foltz also explained the detrimental effects consuming alcohol can have. He described the various levels of blood alcohol content (BAC) and what their corresponding symptoms can mean. For example, a BAC of 0.15 indicates impairment like stumbling and slurred speech, while a BAC of above 0.3 is, in most cases, fatal. Attendees were then asked to calculate what their own BAC content would have been if they had drunk the same amount as Stone Foltz had. His BAC was just above 0.3. “Calculating what my own blood alcohol content would have been made me feel more cautious about the impacts of alcohol and how dangerous this measurement can really be,” Javello said.

Senior Director of Campus Life James Jackson emphasized the importance of educating college communities on these topics. “Being involved in organizations and teams is an important part of the Kenyon experience allowing students to build lifelong friendships and hone vital skills. However, students should not risk their mental, emotional and physical well-being in order to feel accepted in those groups,” Jackson wrote in an email to the Collegian. 

Attendees were warned about the potentially triggering content presented in the talk. However, many students felt that the warnings did not accurately reflect the distressing content being discussed. “I do think this kind of content is important, and I’m glad that it has refreshed the severity of everything in my mind, but I think the warning was insufficient, to be honest,” Manning said. Some students declined to be interviewed due to how upsetting they found the content.

Shari Foltz ended the speech by emphasizing the importance of hazing prevention, commenting that if their talk saved just one person today, they would have achieved their goal.