Seton Hall Halting Expansion Of Beta Theta Pi Following Timothy Piazza Trial

Seton Hall University has made the decision to halt the expansion of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity until next year.

According to Michael Davis, assistant director of Leadership Development, the Seton Hall administration will reconsider the fraternity’s expansion in the fall.

Timothy Piazza, who was pledging at Beta Theta Pi at Penn State University, died on February 4 after drunkenly falling down a flight of stairs at the fraternity house. Members of the fraternity are currently on trial as many of them ignored Piazza’s condition when they could have helped him.

via The Setonian:

“Following the tragic death of Timothy Piazza at Penn State, it is prudent that we take the time to reflect on what’s best for our community,” Davis said via email.

“We work closely with our Greek organizations and their national offices as partners in many areas of education and effective risk management,” Davis said. “We want all students to make smart, healthy choices for themselves, their peers, and their organizations.”

Furthermore, Davis said that Seton Hall’s administration works to ensure similar events do not happen at Seton Hall, thus influencing their decision.

Beta Theta Pi announced their acceptance to Seton Hall’s campus back on April 20.

via Beta.org:

Today, Beta Theta Pi announces that it has been selected to expand at Seton Hall University, with plans to bring the Fraternity’s Men of Principle initiative to the South Orange, New Jersey, campus in spring 2018.

The invitation to join the university’s thriving Greek community comes after extensive discussions with students and administrators who see significant alignment between the missions and cultures of the two historic institutions.

The Setonian contacted Beta Theta Pi for comment on Seton Hall’s decision to delay the expansion, however, the fraternity did not respond.