TIFFIN, Ohio — Back in 2021, Bowling Green State University sophomore Stone Foltz died due to a hazing incident.
It has now been three years and Stone's parents Shari and Cory have created the iamstonefoltz Foundation to tell his story. The goal is to educate students and their families about the dangers of hazing.
"It's just trying to share the impacts so everybody knows that hazing is not just affecting the one person that's getting the haze, but it's affecting everybody around you," Cory Foltz, Stone's father said.
Visiting Tiffin University, the parents' message is "Never Leave Anyone Behind," Urging people who are in the presence of or see the signs of hazing to stand up and put a stop to the danger.
"You just don't want to be the person to walk away and think, 'I should have or I could have or I would have,' Cory said. "So always stick with your friends. Never leave anyone."
Students learned not only about various reports of hazing and how dangerous they were, but also the dangers of alcohol, peer pressure and how it played a part in Stone's passing.
Students at Tiffin University, like Abby Thompson and Ashley Anderson, felt the impact of today's message.
"I'll be asking my friend at BG if she's heard of this story for sure," Thompson said. "I'm definitely going to tell her to be careful and really make sure she's looking out for others but also herself at the end of the day."
"As well as my parents, I want them to know," Anderson said. "I have a brother who goes to Cincinnati. I want them to be more aware of hazing because I know that I wasn't aware and I am a student. So I want my parents to also be aware of how big hazing is."
According to HazingPreventionNetwork.org, 55% of college students involved in clubs, teams and organizations experience hazing. This is something Stone's parents want to see change.
"Having that conversation with your kid could potentially save their life or someone else's," Shari Foltz, Stone's mother said. "So just have that conversation with your kids and keep up with what they're doing daily. Stone and I talked daily, we texted daily."
Shari and Cory hope the message spreads through not just students and their friends, but through fellow parents to keep an eye on their kids and keep them safe.