Sen. Kurtis Gregory, R-Marshall, speaks when he was a member of the Missouri House.
JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 State Sen. Kurtis Gregory, a former University of Missouri football star, is pushing legislation he says would make Greek life safer for college students.
His bill, if passed, would provide immunity from prosecution to people who violate anti-hazing laws but take a series of life-saving measures to help victims.
Immunity would be granted if the individual is the first to call police and remains with the victim until the authorities arrive. The bill also allows those who provide medical assistance like CPR on a victim to be immune from prosecution.
Gregory, , said he feels the legislation could have potentially saved former MU student Danny Santulli from severe injury.
Santulli cannot walk, talk or see after being forced to drink at a Phi Gamma Delta hazing event in 2021.
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Santulli
Members of the fraternity waited hours to bring him to the hospital. Santulli had a blood-alcohol content of .486, six times the legal limit.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all afraid to call 911 because they think they鈥檙e going to get prosecuted under the state hazing statute if their name is identified with what is going on, even if they鈥檙e trying to be a good Samaritan by calling 911,鈥 said David Bianchi, an attorney who represented the Santulli family.
Gregory said he hopes the bill will encourage those in Greek life to engage with authorities quickly instead of behaving recklessly in hopes of avoiding prosecution.
Gregory played right guard for Mizzou, serving as team captain for the 2009 season.
鈥淭he college experience should be fun, the Greek (life) experience should be fun, but it should also be safe,鈥 Gregory said.
Bianchi also represented the family of Andrew Coffey, a Florida State student who died after being a victim of a similar hazing incident as Santulli.
Based on the Coffey incident, the Florida Legislature approved a new law almost identical to what Gregory proposed. The law cleared the Legislature unanimously, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it.
Bianchi added that the bill wouldn鈥檛 remove all accountability for perpetrators of dangerous hazing. Bianchi said assault and battery charges could still be filed.
Currently, hazing carries up to a seven-year prison sentence under Missouri law.
Gregory鈥檚 bill makes several smaller tweaks to the hazing statute. In Gregory鈥檚 bill, anyone who plans or forces another person to plan a hazing event would fall under the law.
He also expanded the hazing violations to include former members of a Greek organization, not just current members.
The legislation is Sena
The family of a student who died from alcohol poisoning while pledging a fraternity will receive nearly $3 million from Bowling Green State University to settle its hazing-related lawsuit, according to an agreement announced Monday. As part of the settlement, the family of Stone Foltz and the university both said they will work to address and eliminate hazing on college campuses. Foltz's parents have started a foundation focused on hazing education and have spoke to students at other universities about its dangers.
