The family of Mizzou student Danny Santulli is cheering for a new college bullying law
Former family University of Missouri student Danny Santulliwho was seriously injured during a 2021 fraternity hazing ritual, described as “the worst hazing injury anyone has ever seen,” is pushing for a new law called the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
President Biden signed bipartisan legislation into lawintroduced by Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in late December.
“It’s a good new law and it will help,” Santulli family attorney David Bianchi told Fox News Digital. “What it does is: It requires universities to publish statistics on campus harassment on an annual basis. It also requires those statistics to be available on university websites. It also requires universities to implement anti-campus bullying programs, which is always a good thing thing.”
Bianchi noted that it was “the first time the federal government has gotten involved in the insult space.”
Daniel Santulli suffered “extensive brain damage” following an October 2021 abuse incident. (Tom Santulli)
When Santulli was a freshman at Mizzou, he was forced to consume a whole shot of vodka while blindfolded he pledged Phi Gamma Delta, followed by beer.
“Just before midnight, Danny passed out on the couch,” according to a summary of events on the website of Bianchi’s law office. “No one did anything to help him. Eventually some members found Danny unconscious with blue lips and pale skin and realized he was in big trouble, but instead of calling 911, they lifted him off the couch to carry him to the car and threw him on his head as they walked out the door.”
FORMER PHI GAMMA DELTA FRATERNITY MEMBER CONVICTED OVER UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI YOUTH TRAGEDY
Danny Santulli was left blind and paralyzed after the appreciation incident. (Santulli family)
Santulli suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to a local hospital, but the then 19-year-old was left blind, unable to walk and communicate due to ritual abuse. His parents now care for him 24 hours a day, according to Bianchi’s law firm, Stewart, Tilghman, Fox, Bianchi & Cain PA
“None of these families want to see something like this happen to someone else and they’re rallying around each other,” Bianchi said. “We tried to advocate for this bill and it took a long time for it to finally happen. It’s a good step in the right direction, but we can do more.”
The Santulli family is rooting for the passage of a new law called the Stop Campus Hazing Act. (Santulli family)
Bianchi believes the law should also cover penalties for those accused of harassing others on college campuses as a way to motivate students not to engage in such harmful activities.
“If [students] they think they’ll just get a slap on the wrist if they prank someone, then they won’t change their behavior.”
“Something has to convince the members of the brotherhood who will be involved in the chase [that] if they do, there will be very severe consequences,” the lawyer said. “And those consequences should include immediate expulsion from the university and immediate expulsion from the fraternity and title prosecution and more. Getting them to do anything other than that won’t change the behavior.”
Santulli’s father, Thomas Santulli, told KVLY that his family’s next step is passing Danny’s Law, which would give students immunity from the crime of bullying if they call 911. (Santulli family)
Santulli’s father, Thomas Santulli, told KVLY that his family’s next step is passing Danny’s Law, which would give students immunity from the crime of bullying if they call 911.
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Boone County authorities have charged 11 Mizzou students in connection with the molestation incident that left Santulli blind and paralyzed. Six defendants settled.
Meanwhile, Phi Gamma Delta has been shut down at the University of Missouri.
