Almost seven months after the death of Clemson student Tucker Hipps under mysterious circumstances, his parents still don’t have answers.
We agree with their decision this week to file a lawsuit against Clemson, Sigma Phi Epsilon and three members of the fraternity that Hipps was pledging when he fell to his death that fateful September morning.
So far, the only investigation that has been completed in this case was the fraternity's, which determined there was no hazing. Clemson took almost five months to suspend the fraternity, and even then not for the incident in question. And the police investigation has seemingly stalled, despite the apparent wealth of evidence brought forward in the documents filed this week.
We believe that the institutions involved in this case have been shamefully dragging their feet, and we hope that this lawsuit will lead to the truth coming to light.
Although there are many rumors and a lot of speculation surrounding this case, there is no definitive record of the events of that morning. But if the claims in this lawsuit are to be believed, Hipps’ death was the result of hazing gone wrong.
Regardless of whether or not this incident was hazing, we agree with Cynthia and Gary Hipps, who said when they announced their lawsuit that “the culture of hazing and inappropriate conduct by social fraternities must be stopped.” Hazing is dangerous, counterproductive and unnecessary.
Although playful hazing has a long tradition in fraternity culture, often times it gets taken to the extreme. No tradition is worth unnecessary loss of life.
To a certain extent institutions such as the fraternities who practice hazing and the colleges who turn a blind eye are responsible. It's not enough to have policies against hazing — fraternities and schools must thoroughly investigate and legislate cases of hazing, especially when there is a question of life or death. Institutions must play a part, but we think individuals in these fraternities must take the lead in curbing dangerous hazing practices.
If this case was not hazing, it would also be an important revelation. We believe the only way to begin to put the rumors, scandal and grief to rest is to discover the truth.
Whatever happened that morning, both the individuals and institutions involved must work harder to find out what happened, and make a real effort to make sure this never happens again. Hopefully this lawsuit will spur them to action.