LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The University of Kentucky's FarmHouse fraternity chapter had its status revoked in response to a student's death earlier this year.
Thomas "Lofton" Hazelwood died of alcohol toxicity, according to Fayette County Coroner Gray Ginn. Hazelwood was found unresponsive Oct. 18 at the Farmhouse Fraternity, where his friends told the coroner he was "highly intoxicated" and had been heavily drinking "hard liquor" throughout the day.
According to the toxicology report released by the Fayette County Coroner's Office, Hazelwood's blood alcohol content level was 0.354. UK Police cited the fraternity for 20 counts of underage people in possession of alcohol. A school spokesperson said that's how many people had access to the room where the alcohol was found.
In a news release Wednesday, UK President Eli Capilouto and Kirsten Turner, vice president for student success at UK, released findings of the university's investigation into Hazelwood's death, which included nearly 50 interviews, as well as reviews of video, text messages and social media posts.
Below is a list of findings, per UK:
- The reviews found no evidence of physical coercion or forced drinking. Other new members were drinking with Lofton. At least one new member who was present where the incident occurred did not drink at all.
- However, the reviews found that FarmHouse Chapter members practiced hazing throughout the semester, creating a culture of noncompliance in which such activities were accepted.
- There is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing directly related to Lofton's death, based on the findings of the institution's investigations to date.
- Fraudulent IDs were purchased by members, which is illegal. UK Police will be working with local, state and federal partners to address the increased use of fraudulent identification cards purchased online.
- Outside the context of the specific incident, there were findings of several violations of university policy and the Code of Student Conduct, including hazing; underage drinking and misuse of alcohol; and failure to follow UK's COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
Pictured: the Farmhouse Fraternity at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. (WLEX)
As a result, the FarmHouse national chapter revoked the UK local chapter's status. UK will work with members in the house to find new places to live. Below are the additional actions UK will take:
- The national chapter has issued a no-contact order, which means that the now former members of this chapter can have no association with FarmHouse for seven years.
- The university announced the revocation of FarmHouse's status as a registered student organization (RSO) on campus for at least four years.
- Individual students, because of the review, could be charged with violations of UK's Code of Student Conduct and will go through the institution's review and hearing process.
- Enhanced and expanded education around required responsibilities for all new members of UK Interfraternity Council (IFC) chapters must be completed before activities can be resumed. Those education and responsibility programs include peer mentoring and education, alcohol awareness education and bystander intervention education and training.
- Increased staffing within Fraternity and Sorority Life has been -- and is being -- added with additional responsibilities for alcohol education and hazing prevention.
"We cannot heal this pain," Capilouto and Turner wrote in the news release. "Nothing we announce today, or do in the future, will bring back Lofton. We cannot fill the emptiness of a life ended too early. But we can come together as a community to remember and to honor Lofton's memory. We can hold our loved ones a little bit closer. And we can embrace this family and our students who are hurting, ensuring them that this UK community will be here for them always.
That is our solemn and sacred task now."
Related Stories:
- Coroner: UK student who died at fraternity house had BAC level more than 4 times the legal limit
- UK fraternity cited for alcohol violations after student's death
- University of Kentucky student dies after being found unresponsive at fraternity house
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