Case Study: Tuscaloosa, Ala

Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP) —Alabama has one of the country’s largest Greek communities with more than 10,000 members belonging to one of the 61 fraternities and sororities. Millions of dollars spent on mansions that line the campus each housing Greek-letter organizations. Among these Phi Gamma Delta whose location is considered one of the best –located directly across from Bryant-Denny Stadium and a .

Five onetime University of Alabama fraternity members will face hazing charges at 1:30pm CDT. Court documents indicate that the five are fighting the chargers, but have since been expelled from Phi Gamma delta which has a policy prohibiting hazing.

The defendants include Richard Eugene Markwalter II, Hunter Lee Wagner, and mark Allen Powers II who are all 20 and from Huntsville; John Patrick Buckley, 21, of Houston; and Colter K. Anderson, 22, of Dallas.

Powers was charged with one count of hazing, and Wagner was also charged with marijuana possession. Each hazing charge has a maximum penalty of $500.

Police depositions allege that Phi Gamma Delta pledges: Cameron Ewing, Hall Bryant, and Benton Jones were told to stand in a cooler filled with ice water and salt on September 14. Upperclassmen than asked the pledges questions to test their knowledge of fraternity brothers during the ordeal, which lasted between 15 to 20 minutes.

Records show that all three new members were treated for frostbite in Tuscaloosa and then transferred to a burn unit at UAB hospital in Birmingham with second and third degree