Midwest
Family attorney of fraternity pledge left debilitated from hazing cheers new law as good start but not enough
The family of former University of Missouri student Danny Santulli, who was severely injured during a fraternity hazing ritual in 2021 in what has been described as “the worst hazing injury anyone has ever seen,” is cheering the passage of a new law called the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
President Biden signed the bipartisan bill, which was introduced by Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, in late December.
“It’s a good new law, and it’s going to help,” Santulli family attorney David Bianchi told Fox News Digital. “What it does is: It requires universities to report, on an annual basis, hazing statistics on campus. It also requires that those statistics be readily available on the websites of the universities. It also requires the universities to implement anti-hazing programs on campus, which is always a good thing.”
Bianchi noted that it is “the first time that the federal government has weighed in in the hazing space.”
COLLEGE HAZING CRIMES OFTEN HAVE LAX PUNISHMENTS BECAUSE THEY ‘AREN’T EASY’ TO PROSECUTE: ATTORNEY
Daniel Santulli suffered “massive brain damage” after an October 2021 hazing incident. (Tom Santulli)
When Santulli was a freshman at Mizzou, he was forced to consume an entire handle of vodka while blindfolded while pledging for Phi Gamma Delta, followed by beer.
“Sometime before midnight, Danny passed out on a couch,” a summary of events on Bianchi’s law firm website states. “No one did anything to help him. Eventually, some members found Danny unconscious with blue lips and pale skin and realized he was in big trouble, but instead of calling 911, they picked him up off the couch to take him to a car and proceeded to drop him on his head on their way out the door.”
FORMER PHI GAMMA DELTA FRATERNITY MEMBER SENTENCED IN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI HAZING TRAGEDY
Danny Santulli was left blind and paralyzed after the hazing incident. (The Santulli Family)
Santulli suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to a local hospital, but the hazing ritual left the then-19-year-old blind, unable to walk and unable to communicate. His parents now care for him 24 hours a day, according to Bianchi’s law firm, Stewart, Tilghman, Fox, Bianchi & Cain P.A.
“None of these families want to see something similar happen to someone else, and they rally around one another,” Bianchi said. “We tried to advocate for this law, and it took a long time to finally happen. It’s a good step in the right direction, but we can do even more.”
MISSOURI FRATERNITY VIDEO SHOWS ALLEGED HAZING THAT SENT STUDENT TO HOSPITAL, REQUIRING ‘CARE FOR LIFE’
The Santulli family is cheering the passage of a new law called the Stop Campus Hazing Act. (The Santulli Family)
Bianchi believes the law should also cover punishments for those who are accused of hazing others on college campuses as a way to motivate students not to partake in such harmful activity.
“If [students] think that they’re just going to get a slap on the wrist if they haze somebody, then they’re not going to change their behavior.”
“Something’s got to convince the fraternity members who are going to be involved in hazing [that] if they do it, there will be very severe consequences,” the attorney said. “And those consequences should include the immediate expulsion from the university and the immediate expulsion from the fraternity and title prosecution and otherwise. Making them do anything short of that isn’t going to change behavior.”
MINNESOTA TEEN WHO SUFFERED ‘MASSIVE BRAIN DAMAGE’ IN COLLEGE HAZING INCIDENT LEFT PERMANENTLY HURT: FAMILY
Santulli’s father, Thomas Santulli, told KVLY that his family’s next step is to pass Danny’s Law, which would give students immunity from the hazing felony if they call 911. (The Santulli Family)
Santulli’s father, Thomas Santulli, told KVLY that his family’s next step is to pass Danny’s Law, which would give students immunity from the hazing felony if they call 911.
Boone County authorities charged 11 Mizzou students in connection with the hazing incident that left Santulli blind and paralyzed. Six defendants took plea deals.
Phi Gamma Delta has since been shut down at the University of Missouri.
Read the full article from Here
DELAVAN, Wis. — A Delavan police officer has resigned immediately following his arrest on stalking charges in Illinois.
Joshua Bittner faces charges stemming from contacting a woman against the orders of the Winnebago County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office. The woman detailed a long pattern of harassment in court documents obtained by TMJ4.
Before being hired by the Delavan Police Department in 2023, Bittner was an officer in Beloit. He resigned from that position while the police department investigated his behavior.
Bittner’s resignation takes effect immediately.
Watch: Delavan police officer resigns after arrest on stalking charges in Illinois
Delavan police officer resigns following arrest
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After a spectacular senior year with Iowa basketball, point guard Bennett Stirtz won Iowa Athletics’ men’s Athlete of the Year and men’s Hawkeye of the Year awards at the athletic department’s 10th annual Golden Herky awards ceremony.
Stirtz, who made stops at Northwest Missouri State and Drake before his lone season at Iowa, finished with a career Division I average of 19.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game on 48.7% field goal shooting, 37.2% 3-point shooting, and 82% from the free-throw line.
This past season, the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder from Liberty, Missouri, averaged 19.8 points and 4.4 assists per game on 47.7% field goal shooting and 35.8% 3-point shooting, to accompany 4.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals through approximately 37:44 of action in his 37 games played.
At the end of the season, Stirtz’s play earned him AP and USBWA honorable-mention All-America honors, first-team All-Big Ten recognition, and the winner of the prestigious Chris Street Award.
In addition to Stirtz’s men’s Athlete of the Year award, Iowa’s men’s basketball team took home four additional Golden Herkys.
Redshirt freshman Cooper Koch was named men’s Breakthrough Athlete, freshman Tate Sage was named men’s Freshman of the Year, and the team earned the awards for men’s Outstanding Team and Best Moment for defeating No. 1 seed Florida to advance to the Sweet 16 in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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