BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The community is remembering Stone Foltz, the BGSU sophomore who died nearly one year ago after an alcohol-fueled hazing incident.
"We are here this evening to honor the life of Stone Foltz," said Rodney Rogers, BGSU President.
A life that was taken too soon and the aftermath shook the Bowling Green community.
"It brought a lot of us together, but it made it very clear the things that we needed to get done to progress as a community," said student Fide Valverde-Rivera.
As the one-year mark approaches, friends and strangers gathered to honor Stone Foltz and reflect on how his spirit is driving the change that so many says was needed.
"I think this will not only honor his spirit and his impact on BG, but it will also remind us what we're working towards and remind us how necessary it is for us to complete our goals toward a BGSU without hazing on our campus," Valverde-Rivera said.
And this culture change is something university officials have taken seriously.
"We are also committed, more than ever, to work to eradicate hazing. Not just here at Bowling Green, but at every single university across this nation" President Rogers said.
Stone will also have a permanent spot on campus. The University unveiled a marker to honor the 20-year-old, serving as a reminder that hazing will not be tolerated.
"Hazing can happen anywhere and everywhere, not just Greek life. If we can reduce or prevent any other hazing deaths so no one else has to suffer like the Foltz family did or like the community did, that's our goal," said student Emma Savely said.
President Rogers says in the one year since Stone's passing there has been major strides to eradicate hazing on college campuses across Ohio, but it's not enough. More needs to be done and it starts with every person knowing what hazing looks like and speaking out.
The University also announced that it will be changing the structure of how social organizations recruit new members and that will go into effect this fall.