Following the death of Debbie Smith’s son, Matt, the family learned what had happened to him. Since then, they have made documentaries, launched a non-profit, and have been working to change laws to prevent hazing. Susan Snyder with ‘The Inquirer’ reports:
“It puts a bigger face on the story,” said Leslie Lanahan, whose son, Jr., the captain of his high school football team, died after an alcohol-saturated fraternity event in 2004 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. “I don’t think it has ever gotten the attention it deserves collectively.”
Hazing has been a problem for decades. In a national 2008 of more than 11,000 college students, 55 percent of those involved in clubs, teams, and organizations said they experienced hazing. Dozens of students have , including four in 2017.
