PETERSBURG, Virginia -- Four men have been charged after allegedly hazing two Virginia State University students by making them walk into the Appomattox River, resulting in the drowning death of at least one of the students.
The body of Marvell Edmonson, 19, was recovered from the river Monday.
Search-and-rescue teams are still searching for a second student, Jauwan M. Holmes, who disappeared during the group's outing in the early morning hours on Saturday, according to the Chesterfield County, Va., police.
The outing consisted of seven males wading through the Appomattox River for initiation into the group Men of Honor, a social club not sanctioned by the Petersburg, Va., university, police said.
Around 1:30 a.m., Saturday, Holmes and Edmonson were carried downstream by the river, and other members of the group called 911 for help, police said. Rescue teams combed the river for signs of the two men throughout the weekend.
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Virginia State student deaths renew debate over hazing abuse
PETERSBURG, Virginia -- The apparent hazing death of two Virginia State University (VSU) students has renewed the debate over universities’ responsibility to combat hazing abuse.
In Virginia's Chesterfield County, police have charged four men, including two VSU students, with hazing after two students drowned in the Appomattox River on April 20 as part of an initiation rite for the social club Men of Honor, which is not a school-sanctioned group. One suspect is still at large.
Seven VSU students reportedly tried to use a “human chain” to cross the rushing rapids of the rain-swollen Appomattox River around midnight Sunday. A witness told local NBC affiliate WAVY that the water level rose to their chests, and the current swept away freshmen Marvell Edmondson and Jauwan Holmes. The evening was reportedly the culmination of a week-long pledging and hazing process for the group.
Police recovered Mr. Edmondson's body on Monday and are still looking for Mr. Holmes.
Historically black colleges and universities like VSU have struggled with a long tradition of hazing centered on physical abuse. But recent tragedies, including the November 2011 death of Robert Champion, a drum major in Florida A&M University’s celebrated marching band, have brought national attention to the issue, ratcheting up pressure for schools to take stronger action to discourage the practice.
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