Penn State Staff Knew About Hazing

Posted on Jul 24, 2012

More information about the Asya Trowell “little sister” hazing case has surfaced. On April 3, 2012, Trowell was allegedly beaten and tortured as part of her indoctrination into “Omega Essence,” a group related to the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Trowell filed a hazing complaint with Penn State on April 9, 2012, and hired Harrisburg personal injury attorney Scott Cooper to ensure the university fully investigates her claims instead of covering them up as they did with the Jerry Sandusky case. Four people were accused of inflicting abuse on female pledges. All denied the allegations—including one staff member.

One of the accused is Claude Mayo, a graduate assistant who worked for Penn State. He has since resigned from his position. The other three students accused of abuse did not walk in the commencement ceremony that took place in May 2012.

Cooper commented, “It confirms the employees knew about it and this could not have been the first time, and she wants them to investigate further.” He continued “What we’ve been saying since you broke the story is what the school should have been doing, which is being proactive, not reactive.”

Penn State continues to investigate and released the following statement on May 9, 2012:

“Criminal charges have not yet been filed, though those may be forthcoming. The same is true for campus judicial charges. Those accused students who planned to graduate last weekend were prevented from doing so pending the outcome of these inquiries. One employee in Residence Life who has been accused in the matter was immediately placed on administrative leave and has since resigned. A graduate assistant who was overseeing a program within the College of Science and who also has been accused of misconduct has resigned as well.”

Harrisburg personal injury lawyer Scott Cooper is an expert trial attorney with Schmidt Kramer Injury Lawyers. He continues to work to obtain justice for Asya Trowell in this case. If you are injured and need advice and assistance, contact one of the personal injury attorneys at Schmidt Kramer Injury Lawyers toll-free at (717) 888-8888 for a free case consultation.

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