From Grief to Grace: How the Piazza family turned a tragedy into a positive mission

Evelyn and Jim Piazza have been at the forefront of fighting for tougher state and federal anti-hazing laws for nearly a decade. They sat down with Centre Country Report to discuss their advocacy work, their family and more.

By Eric Morris

Tim Piazza, in a football uniform, stands between his mother and father for a senior night photo — Evelyn (L) and Jim (R) Piazza with their son Tim celebrating his high school football team's senior night
**Credit: Piazza family**

February 2, 2017 changed the lives of the Piazza family forever. The youngest son, Tim, was a 19-year-old, second-year student at Penn State and had just accepted a bid to join the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. That night, he was put through a binge drinking-fueled hazing ritual that led to severe intoxication and a series of injuries that, ultimately, led to his death a few days later.

In the years since, Tim's parents - Evelyn and Jim - have taken on the unenviable task of trying to eliminate hazing's impact on college campuses, in Greek Life and beyond. Through public speaking engagements, philanthropy and lobbying at the state and federal level, they are moving the proverbial needle in the right direction.

In a sit-down interview with Centre County Report's Eric Morris, the Piazzas shared stories of their involvement with the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act that was signed into law in December 2024, challenges they've faced in shifting the culture around hazing, a charitable effort that honors Tim's legacy and more.

The interview was part of a story that aired during a Centre County Report newscast on April 4, 2025.

From Grief to Grace: How the Piazza family turned a tragedy into a positive mission

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