TRENTON, N.J. – A grand jury charged two Rider university officials and three students with aggravated hazing on Aug. 3, four months after a freshman pledge died of alcohol poisoning at an initiation ceremony.
Eighteen-year-old Gary DeVercelly, Jr. of Long Beach, Calif., died on March 30 after a night of binge drinking at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house. He had allegedly consumed three-fourths of a bottle of vodka during the Big Brother Little Brother ritual. When he was rushed to the hospital, he had a blood alcohol content of 0.426 – five times the legal limit for driving.
The two administrators charged were Director of Greek Life Ada Badgley and Dean of Students Anthony Campbell. Also charged with aggravated hazing were students Dominic Olsen, pledge master of the fraternity’s Spring 2007 class, Michael Torney, the fraternity chapter president, and Adriano DiDonato, the residence director and house master of Phi Kappa Tau. According to lawyer Doug Fierberg, this is one of the first times university officials have faced criminal charges after a hazing death.
In addition, 15 students were charged with giving alcohol to someone underage, 23 were cited for underage drinking, and three more currently face drug charges.
The national council of Phi Kappa Tau voted to suspend the Rider University chapter’s charter on July 22. The university dissolved the Phi Kappa Tau chapter on Aug. 3.
Badgley and Campbell remain full-time employees of the school. The university said it will wait for further information before changing their employment status.
Aggravated hazing is a felony in the state of New Jersey. If convicted, the defendants could face a $10,000 fine and up to 18 months in prison. Fierberg says the DeVercelly family has not yet decided whether to file a lawsuit.
