It is unfortunate for UVA that is what I think. I think only one of the six stuck with the UVA team.
So…I don’t think very many employers would take kindly to that email. I wonder how many schools are ok with an email like that? I thought universities were places of higher learning? I thought the caveman days were over.
In general, I don’t think a public university can do anything about emails like that due to First Amendment concerns. But if they are egregious enough, they may rise to the level of tortious infliction of emotional injury to the target individual, as the plaintiff is alleging.
Very concise summary of allegations in 30 page complaint:
The complaint alleges that when the “first years” arrived the Swim House was “dark inside with no conventional lighting turned on. Instead there was strobe lighting and heavy metal, satanic music blaring on a television-sized speaker.” They were verbally abused by the defendants because they had not all arrived en masse, were told to sit down and take off their ties.
Trash buckets were put on the “first years” heads and they were taunted, screamed at and threatened. Because of the loud music they could not understand the instructions they were being given, which seemed to enrage the defendants and just increased their abusive screaming.
The “first years” were then blindfolded and put in a line and told to reach down underneath their legs and grab and hold the private parts of the “first year” directly behind them and do an “Elephant Walk” all around the house. During this time they were being verbally abused, screamed at and taunted. Out of the corner off his blindfold Marcantonio alleges he saw that defendants had their genitals out and were waving them as the first years walked by.
At some point during all this one of the defendants (named by name in the complaint) became enraged and smashed a bottle on the floor which caused glass to fly everywhere, hitting one of the other “first years” in the eye causing an injury.
The “first years” were then marched to a bathroom, locked in and told that they had “one hour” to finish all the alcohol in the room. There were large containers of hard liquor, beer and mixtures of tomato juice, beer and milk. The radiator was turned up high although it was August. Every so often the door would open and a bucket of water would be thrown on them making the room like a steam room.
All the sink and shower drains were duct taped shut as were the toilet lids and windows so it would be obvious if the “first years” tried to get rid of any of the liquids in the room. The screaming and abuse continued from outside the door and they were told that if a drop was left, each of the first years would get the dry ice *ildo.
Questionnaires, pens and a flashlight were thrown into the bathroom and this appears to be where the “tradition” come in. Their answers to these questions would be saved and next years “first years” would have to memorize their answers. Likewise each “first year” had to memorize answers from a member of last years class. The questions were mostly sexual in nature and included:
Who on the women’s team would you like to abort, and how would you do it? (Marcantonio had to memorize the answer that one of the defendant’s gave last year and defendant had named the girl he would abort and said he would cut off her arms and legs and throw her into an oven.)
Write 3 full sentences on your thoughts on “salad dressing” - ( I had to consult Urban Dictionary on this one.)
Choose: *uck, kill, marry your mother, grandmother or Uncle.
Once released from the bathroom most everyone was drunk (unclear if Marcantonio was) and they were subjected to individual questioning and asked things like : “What is the most offensive thing you would say to a Jewish person or what is the most offensive thing you could say to a black person?” One first year was knocked off his chair when one of the upper classmen did not like his answer.
Each “first year” given a gold fish, told to name it, explain why he chose that name and then eat it. No swallowing – each had to show the mashed up fish in their mouths. A second gold fish was given to each first year , they had to name it and then the gold fish was thrown on the floor. The “first year” had to get down on his hands and knees and try to save the gold fish while the upper classmen stomped the fish to death.
There is a lot more but I think you can get the drift.
Well, there are a lot of witnesses.
Yes, lots of witnesses, which is why I wondered early on why the DA did not pursue false imprisonment or underage drinking charges.
"The “first years” were then blindfolded and put in a line and told to reach down underneath their legs and grab and hold the private parts of the “first year” directly behind them and do an “Elephant Walk” all around the house. "
I would like someone who has done this to explain what is the appeal. This is so, so weird and on no planet is this “harmless hijinks.”
I can’t picture how it works. If you are bent over reaching between your legs to grab the guy behind you, how does the guy in front of you grab yours?
Few more tidbits : “first years” were made to assume the “streamline” position and hold it for a long period and one “first year” was told to defecate in a bucket.
Another abusive email was sent out the following day with instructions on the “scavenger hunt” and Marcantonio was threatened in another email and told to lie if anyone asked about the eye injury sustained by the other “first year.”
@bay, Don’t know. I wrote earlier the SEC did not pursue illegal activity.
There are plenty of stories of DAs not pursuing rape cases.
Civil cases are a preponderance of evidence standard…not a reasonable doubt standard.
People are going to have to testify under oath.
I find this very interesting.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Parent-of-Accused-Lawyer-for-Victim-Speak-Out-about-UVa-Hazing-Lawsuit-310568081.html?device=tablet&c=y
And now there may be defecation?
I am just shaking my head.
I think there may be be videos or photos online how this works.
I am not going to google this and I am not going to link this. 
I guess i did just google this. There are photos. I am still not going to link this.
It all reads bad and very embarrassing for the defendants. But do you think the first years’ health or safety was endangered by the experience? I don’t think it is all that clear, and that is what is required under the hazing statute.
Augie Busch? Is he of the Busch family of beer fame? They have Augie (August) Busches all over that family tree.
I don’t know. You can’t leave a room and you are supposed to drink alcohol. That might meet the hazing standard.
That would be really bad for me. I drink one glass of wine a year… If that.
I am a guy. I wouldn’t be too happy with an elephant walk. That might stress me out. Defecating in public. Not something I like to do. That would definitely stress me out.
The guy is suing for more than hazing.
I just googled the elephant walk too, and it looks like the lawyer described it wrong. The guys reach forward to grab the genitals of the guy in front.
It can go either way. Just to be clear…I have never done an elephant walk. 
I have sworn at people. Pretty foul language.
He alleged a lot in the complaint about what they were supposedly told to do, but it was not clear whether anyone actually did it.
@bay, We’ll see.
This looks like the accusation is they did the elephant walk.
“Is he of the Busch family of beer fame.”? No. He is the son of Frank Busch, coach of the USA national swim team and 6 time NCAA coach of the year.
I do wonder what the Michigan coaches were told about the two transfers to their program (Luke from NJ and Kyle from Pa.) in terms of their suspension last fall.