A sea of blue “Danny Strong” and “Stop Hazing” T-shirts crowded Peace Park in a candlelight vigil on Oct. 19. The shirts were created as an anti-hazing initiative for former MU freshman Danny Santulli, who last year was involved in a hazing incident that left him unable to walk, talk or see. The vigil, held on the one-year anniversary of the incident, was organized by his sister and current MU student Meredith Santulli.

Santulli, who was pledging the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, also known as Fiji, was at a party known as “Pledge Dad Reveal Night,” where fraternity brothers allegedly forced him to drink an entire bottle of vodka. After drinking three-fourths of the bottle, Santulli became unresponsive. By the time Santulli was driven to a nearby hospital and revived in the parking lot, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.486% – six times the legal limit to drive for adults over 21 in Missouri. 

While Santulli was pledging, FIJI was on double probation. When a fraternity is on probation, alcohol is prohibited from the fraternity house. 

The Santulli family settled a lawsuit filed against 23 people affiliated with MU and Fiji in May. Ten fraternity brothers were charged with felony hazing, life endangerment, and supplying alcohol to a minor. A change.org petition calling for the fraternity brothers involved in the incident to be charged received almost 120,000 signatures. 

“What has struck our family the most, besides the overwhelming support and love that has come from our family, friends, and even complete strangers, is that this should have never happened,” Meredith Santulli said in her opening remarks. “This was a senseless act that was carried out by individuals that did not play by the rules. Fraternities are not above the law, and they were breaking those laws that night.” 

Santulli’s cousin, Charles Haugh, is a fifth-year senior at MU and was a member of Fiji before it was barred from campus following the incident. He also spoke at the vigil.

“The importance of being here is just remembering what happened … we [want to] spread awareness [of] hazing, so it just doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Haugh also commented on the importance of speaking up in situations like Santulli’s. 

“I was part of the whole fraternity system for four years,” he said. “I think we need to start up [at the] top, seniors and juniors telling people that, this young, you don’t have to be hazed … and let everyone know that it’s okay to say something. A lot of it stems from fear that people aren’t going to like you, you’re not going to belong.”

MU Chancellor and UM System President Mun Choi attended the vigil, along with community activists and the Rev. James Gray. After members of the Santulli family delivered opening remarks, MU students and Columbia community members stayed to talk with and offer condolences to the Santulli family. 

“I do not want this fraternity to be representing the people of this community,” Meredith Santulli said. “Because I do believe I live in a community that will not tolerate this behavior.”

Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Jacob Richey