Police Will Charge The Big Brother Of WVU Kappa Sigma Pledge Who Died Last Semester
Kappa Sigma at West Virginia University is about to take another blow in the wake of a pledge’s death last semester. Although nothing will ever compete with the inexcusable tragedy that occurred last November, having a member charged in connection with the death of an aspiring member is pretty damn awful.
Nolan Burch, an 18-year-old Kappa Sigma pledge, died last semester after consuming an extraordinary amount of alcohol on “big/little night” at the fraternity house. He was found unresponsive on a table at the house and subsequently passed away two days later. His BAC on the night of the incident was .493. Burch’s big brother in the fraternity, Richard Schwartz, was arrested today in connection to Nolan’s death. According to officers, Schwartz is the one who provided Burch with the liquor that he consumed that night.
From Charleston Daily Mail:
Burch, an 18-year-old also from Williamsville, N.Y., died on Nov. 14 after suffering a “catastrophic medical emergency” during a pledging ceremony at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house.
Prosecutors allege Schwartz gave the underage Burch a bottle of liquor as part of “big/little night,” a common event among fraternities and sororities which involves an older fraternity member buying alcohol and other gifts for a younger “brother” or “sister” who recently pledged to the organization.
The Kappa Sigma national organization had revoked the chapter’s charter in the week before Burch’s death. Several days later, the university suspended the activities of all fraternities and sororities. The suspension was only lifted earlier this month.
Schwartz was charged with one count of hazing and one count of conspiring to commit hazing. If convicted, he could face a maximum of almost two years in jail. He was released on a $10,000 bond..
[via Charleston Daily News]
Image via Twitter / @NolanBurch9
To all you actives out there: let’s make sure this never happens again. Watch out for each other. Rest in peace brother.
11 years ago at 9:18 pmwhat a shame. RIP
11 years ago at 9:26 pmMy wrestling partner in High School is a Kappa Sig at WVU. He was really fucking upset when I called him about it right after it happened and could barely even talk. Sucks that this has to happen to the Chapter and everyone involved and I especially feel for Nolan and his family.
11 years ago at 12:20 amYour “wrestling partner”? Hey not that there’s anything wrong with that.
11 years ago at 11:52 amIt’s tragic to see the death of any fraternity member, but knowing he’s one of your own brothers makes it so much worse. Rest in peace, brother.
11 years ago at 1:01 amThis entire situation is incredibly tragic and devastating, but the world works in a certain way that requires accountability. It’s just how adults function in a modern societal setting. Unfortunately, the one who was held accountable for this is the one who provided the cause of death, the alcohol. Whether he forced it down his throat or the pledge drank it on his own accord is anybody’s guess, but this is not a world that is typically absolute so I am going to guess that it was somewhere in between. That being said, it did happen at a fraternity, a national organization with a specific membership, and though you may not be able to sue the entire YMCA if your kid dies, if he doesn’t know how to swim and the lifeguard was not paying attention, that center is going to be in very hot water. There’s a lot of gray area here and that’s the reality with a lot of things like this. All I can say is I would hate to see this entire situation turn into a battle that completely loses sight of the actual tragedy that occurred there.
Rest in Peace. AEKDB
11 years ago at 2:52 am“Hazing” is an actual statutory offense? That is fucking weak. This sure is a pussy ass generation.
11 years ago at 11:49 amThe underlying problem here is that buying alcohol for your little is considered hazing. Providing alcohol to a minor would be a more appropriate charge, not hazing. That’s unfair to the big brother.
11 years ago at 3:06 pmThe legal definition of hazing is “limited to those actions taken and situations created in connection to the initiation into or affiliation with any organization”. If the Kappa Sig nationals revoked their charter one week prior to the accident, that would revoke any possibility of the pledges being able to be initiated or affiliate because the chapter would cease to be an acknowledged sect of the organization. The hazing charge has no grounds, regardless of what sort of situation was created that night. RIP Nolan, AEKDB.
11 years ago at 8:38 pm