Jun 4, 2008 3:00 pm US/Eastern
Parents: Rider Univ. Administrators Knew Of Hazing
TRENTON (AP) ―
The parents of a dead Rider University student are now claiming that school administrators were personally warned about dangerous hazing at a fraternity chapter blamed for their son's death last year.
Lawyers for Gary DeVercelly Jr.'s parents filed a motion last week to expand their lawsuit against the university to include two school administrators, Ada Badgley and Cassie Iacovelli.
The lawyers say the administrators were told of excessive drinking during pledge season but did nothing to stop it at the on-campus Phi Kappa Tau house.
Instead they decided to allow the fraternity to proceed with its pledge process, including a March 2007 party in which DeVercelly drank himself to death in what authorities say was a hazing ritual.
DeVercelly, a freshman from Long Beach, Calif., was pronounced dead on March 30, 2007 at a Trenton hospital, two days after the party.
Besides the administrators, his parents are suing the school, the
national fraternity, the now-defunct fraternity chapter, and individual fraternity members.
The new accusations come only weeks after the former fraternity chapter president, Michael Torney, agreed to cooperate with Gary and Julie DeVercelly's lawyers as part of a lawsuit settlement. Torney is also providing new information to prosectors as he tries to settle an aggravated hazing charge.
Gary and Julie DeVercelly's lawyer Doug Fierberg declined to say whether the new accusations in the lawsuit come from Torney.
Rider issued a statement saying it disagrees with the allegations against the administrators and will fight them.
Badgley, the school's Greek life director, and Iacovelli, the assistant dean of campus life did not immediately return phone calls and e-mails for comment on Wednesday.
After DeVercelly's death, prosecutors charged three fraternity members, as well as Badgley and Rider's dean of students Anthony Campbell, with aggravated hazing. Charges were later dropped against the school officials because prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence.
Charges weren't dropped against the fraternity members, but two were able to gain admittance into a court-monitored program that allows them to keep their records clean and avoid prison. A trial is still possible for Torney.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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