The DA 02-12-2014

Page 1

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”

da

Thursday February 12, 2015

Volume 127, Issue 93

www.THEDAONLINE.com

Nolan Burch’s “Big Brother” arrested, released on $10k bond by laura haight city editor @LauraHaightwvu

A West Virginia University student has been arrested in relation to the Nov. 14, 2014, death of the18year-old freshman Nolan Burch. Morgantown Police arrested and charged Richard Schwartz, 20, of Williamsville, N.Y., with one count

of hazing and one count of conspiracy to commit hazing, according to a criminal complaint. Schwartz was charged on Wednesday and later released on a $10,000 bond. Schwartz and Burch were both from Williamsville, a village of around 5,000 people outside Buffalo, N.Y. Schwartz, a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, was Burch’s “big brother” and

took part in the “Big/Little” initiation event with Burch. Schwartz is alleged to have provdied Burch with a bottle of liquor and helped carry him back to the Kappa Sigma Fraternity house where Burch was found unresponsive later that night. According to Chief of Police Ed Preston, Burch was participating in the “BigLittle” initiation event with the Kappa Sigma Fraternity

on Nov. 12, 2014, where fraternity pledges and members drank large amounts of alcohol. Medical tests performed on Burch after the incident showed his blood alcohol content was 0.493. Burch was only 18 years old when he died on Nov. 14, 2014. “We are still grieving over Nolan’s untimely death and for his family, who has faced such sadness and loss,” said

Corey Farris, dean of students, in a University press release. According to the release, WVU will continue to work with Greek leaders to ensure changes will be made to create a safer, more “service and academic-oriented culture.” Records obtained from the Monongalia County Magistrate’s Office further identified a different per-

son as the “Grand Master” for the pledges during the “Big/Little” ceremony. The Grand Master “orchestrated blindfolding, escorting, and presenting the assigned big brother of NMB (Nolan Burch).” It is unknown whether MPD is further investigating this individual’s involvement. lhaight@mail.wvu.edu

3 MONTHS LATER:

Burch’s mom: ‘That was Putting the events surrounding Burch’s the worst phone call I tragedy into perspective, Nov. 12 to now ever got in my entire life’

Burch family speaks out for the first time

by jacob bojesson editor-in-chief @dailyathenaeum

by evelyn merithew associate city editor @dailyathenaeum

Today marks the three-month anniversary of the night West Virginia University freshman Nolan Burch, 18, of Williamsville, N.Y., was hospitalized and put on life support. As family and friends continue to grieve, the picture of what happened that night is slowly coming together.

Nov. 12 – “Big/Little” Night Burch had been enrolled at WVU for three months, majoring in sports management, and had an easy time fitting in at his new school. He immediately found a circle of friends on the seventh floor of Summit Hall and was pledgKyle Monroe/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM ing to become a brother of the Kappa Friends and floormates of WVU freshman Nolan Burch link arms and softly sing ‘Country Roads’ Thursday, Sigma Fraternity. On the morning of Wednesday, Nov. Nov. 13, 2014, on the Mountainlair Green. 12, 2014, Burch tweeted, “It’s about to be a very eventful night to say the least,” referring to Kappa Sigma’s “Big/Little” event as part of the initiation into the fraternity. Burch and the other pledges were called to the Kappa Sigma house at 200 Belmar Avenue where they were taken into a room and blindfolded before being transported to 305 Glendon Street by fraternity members. Each pledge was assigned a “big brother” by the “Grand Master” and was given a bottle of liquor from their “big brothers.” Burch consumed a large quantity of alcohol during the night and had to be taken back to the Kappa Sigma house by members of the fraternity where he laid down on a table. At approximately 11:52 p.m., Morgantown Police Department reKyle Monroe/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM sponded to an unknown medical The brothers of Kappa Sigma gather in their WVU chapter house on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014. emergency at the Kappa Sigma house. A member had found Burch unresponsive with no pulse a few minutes earlier and after being transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital, Burch was put on life support.

Nov. 13 – WVU Community in shock A rumor that a student had died during a fraternity event started to spread around social media. The WVU chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity deleted its Twitter account, and later that afternoon it was revealed that Burch was in intensive care at Ruby Memorial. Burch’s parents and sister drove four hours from Williamsville to Morgantown during the night to be with him during his final hours. Burch’s friends honored him with a vigil on the Mountainlair Plaza as they

see TIMELINE on PAGE 2

Andrew Spellman/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Students of WVU, Greek and non-Greek, came out Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, to support the brothers of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Catalyst scholarship requirements questioned by lauren caccamo staff writer @dailyathenaeum

Challenges to the West Virginia University Student Government Association’s new scholarship, Catalyst of Campus Change, were brought to attention at last night’s weekly meeting. The scholarship guidelines were quickly put to

the test when senior WVU students Alex Shy and Justin Stone confronted the SGA Board of Governors. “We were denied the ability to continue our application to the scholarship because we submitted it as a group. We’ve put a lot of planning into this and even had a few meetings with the mayor. So, I think for us to withdraw our application and re-

28° / 5°

BETTER CALL SAUL

INSIDE

Spin-off makes a promising start A&E PAGE 3

CLOUDY

News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 3, 5 Sports: 7, 8, 9 Campus Connection: 6 Puzzles: 6 Classifieds: 8, 9

submit it under one name is unfair when there needs to be credit to four people,” Shy said. After the board listened to the students’ concerns, Vice Chair Stephen Scott pointed out the difficulties that might arise in financing the awarded scholarship to multiple individuals rather than one. “Something that needs to be addressed is that

when the money goes to an individual, it’s divided by each semester. So, if there are groups and we have, say three people, we will have to divide that money six ways,” Scott said to his fellow board members. “If you split it, I don’t think that $300 is really going to help any student out with their account or their

see SCHOLARSHIP on PAGE 2

Gentle. Always smiling. Loved life. Happy. These four things come to mind when Kimberly Burch describes her son Nolan. Three months after the sudden passing of beloved friend and Mountaineer Nolan Burch, his parents came forward to share stories celebrating his short but fully lived life, as well as why it was so important for them to decide to donate his organs to help others. Wednesday evening in an interview with Pittsburgh Channel 11 News, Theron and Kimberly Burch described what life has been like since Nolan Burch’s death and how although his physical body is not present, his spirit has inspired so many others to consider becoming a donor. When the Burch’s received a phone call in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 13, Kimberly Burch said it had to ring three times before she answered it. “That was the worst phone call I ever got in my entire life. We (Kimberly, Theron and their daughter, Alexandra) were out of the house in a half hour. We threw things into a bag and were on the road to West Virginia,” Kimberly Burch said. When Theron Burch talked to the doctor, he told him that his son had basically gone into cardiac arrest. “That’s when everything just changed instantly. (Things) looked hopeful at one point, then it didn’t look so hopeful,” Theron Burch said. “By the time we arrived, we knew (we) were going to have to make some decisions.” On the way to West Virginia, the Burchs made pitstops to get updates from Ruby Memorial doctors about the status of their son, and as they got closer to Morgantown they realized things were not good. “It was the longest four and a half hours of, I think, all of our lives. I don’t know how my husband drove. Thank God we got there safe and were able to spend two days by (Nolan’s) side, which was, you know, most people don’t get that,” Kimberly Burch said. “We were able to say goodbye. That was a gift.” Theron Burch said his family arrived at the hospital around 6 a.m. and after being further informed, the family was asked how they felt about donating Nolan’s organs through Ruby Memorial Hospital and the Center of Organ Recovery

THE DA’s HIRING WRITERS Inquire about paid positions at The Daily Athenaeum at DA-editor@mail.wvu.edu or pick up an application at our office at 284 Prospect St.

CONTACT US Newsroom 304-293-5092 or DAnewsroom@mail.wvu.edu Advertising 304-293-4141 or DA-Ads@mail.wvu.edu Classifieds 304-293-4141 or DA-Classifieds@mail.wvu.edu Fax 304-293-6857

GOODBYE JON STEWART Commentary: One columnist salutes Stewart as he plans to leave ‘The Daily Show’ OPINION PAGE 4

mbcnews.com

and Education. “We were asked if it’d be okay if the folks from CORE talked to us and of course we said that’s fine and that’s how it started. They afforded time for some things to get right within (Nolan’s) system and allowed him to be able to donate more than what they had expected,” Theron Burch said. “At the end of the day, as tragic as it was, it was still a blessing for other folks.” Theron Burch said he “absolutely” finds comfort in knowing Nolan’s organs are helping other people. “Knowing that he would have done the same thing when he was alive, to be able to fill out the donor (card), I know for a fact he would have done it and would be proud of what he’s done,” Theron Burch said. “It’s hard. It’s bittersweet. We just hope a part of him lives in the folks who received his organs.” Nolan’s organs saved a multitude of people, including a 25-year-old college student who can now return to school and a 60-year-old man who is the caretaker of his grandchildren. “Nolan would be happy. He’d be proud that he did something to save other people,” Kimberly Burch said. “That was Nolan, always thinking of other people.” Theron Burch agrees Nolan would have wanted to have his organs donated, no questions asked. “He did a lot on his own to help, whether it was individuals or the community, volunteer work, things like that. It wasn’t just to get it on a college resume, he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do. Just a real good kid,” Theron Burch said. Both Kimberly and Theron Burch were supportive of Nolan’s decision to study at West Virginia University where he would experience new things on his own and grow to become even more of an individual. It has been extremely difficult, they said, to come to the realization that their son is no longer with them.

see FAMILY on PAGE 2

BOUNCING BACK No. 21 WVU wins 76-72 over Kansas State SPORTS PAGE 7


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.