The event began with a statement from UA football player Scott Meyer. He was a friend to Max Gruver, the victim.

“After he passed, I learned a lot about his legacy,” Meyer said.

He said loving one another is keeping them out of harm’s way. The two mothers then detailed their sons’ deaths.

Rae Ann Gruver took her son to school at Louisiana State University on Aug. 17, 2017. Max Gruver’s college experience only lasted 29 days. He died on Sept. 14, 2017, surrounded by members of his fraternity.

She recalled what happened on the day her son died at what members of the fraternity referred to as “bible study.” The pledges arrived at the fraternity house at 10 p.m. on a Sunday. “Are y’all ready for bible study? Y’all better be because I am already F’d up,” said a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Max Gruver was hit in the eye with a bottle and was forced to drink a pull of diesel liquor, which is 2.5 times stronger than the average alcoholic beverage. The pledges were forced to drink a pull of liquor every time they got an answer wrong about the fraternity. More than two hours passed, and Gruver was forced to drink 10 to 12 pulls of diesel liquor because “he got answers wrong and was late to a couple events,” Rae Ann Gruver said.

The members of the fraternity left Max Gruver on a couch to sleep it off, and no one called the police, even though his lips and fingers were turning blue. The following morning it was determined he had a blood alcohol concentration level (BAC) of .495, which is six times the legal driving limit. Max Gruver died of acute alcohol intoxication. His mother said his life could have been saved if someone called 911 when they discovered he was unconscious.

“Hazing is not something that should be an expected part of college experience,” Rae Ann Gruver said.

The mother of the late Tim Piazza, Evelyn Piazza, also spoke out against hazing.

Tim Piazza was 19 years old and in his second semester of sophomore year at Penn State University. His life ended when he was hazed by Beta Theta Pi on bid acceptance night. Evelyn Piazza did not go into detail about her son’s death because she was sure most people heard about the incident on the news. However, she did share the brutal conditions her son faced.

“If help would have been called when he fell and got hurt, he would be alive today,” she said.

Tim Piazza suffered from subdural hematoma, and 80 percent of his body’s blood was in his abdomen. Doctors informed the Piazza family that his condition was not recoverable, and it was just a matter of time until his death.

“I felt the world stop,” Evelyn Piazza said.

As tears began to run while speaking about the condition of her late son, she took a brief pause to regain control.

As her family entered the room to say their final goodbyes to him, the only skin that showed was on his shoulders. The family made the painful decision to turn the machines off and preserve his organs. Tim Piazza was pronounced dead around 1:23 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2017. He would have celebrated his 21st birthday Sept. 25.

“Everyone’s lives are forever altered,” Evelyn Piazza said.

Ebone Ivory, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., said she will try to inform others about the severity of hazing.

“I will do my best to educate others about the dangers of hazing and the consequences that come along with hazing someone,” Ivory said.

Brianna Duncan, a member of Alpha Delta Chi, said hazing takes away from the pride of being in Greek life.

“Being Greek used to be an honor, and hazing has turned it into something alumni and parents shame. A parent should not fear their child’s demise just because they want to be in Greek life,” Duncan said.

The mothers of these two young men encourage students to set the tone that hazing will not be tolerated. Students can call 1-888-NOTHAZE, or they can call the University’s hotline, 205-248-HALT, if they are victims of hazing or have witnessed someone else getting hazed.