TJ and Kim Burch have spent a decade watching their son Nolan’s friends graduate from college, get married, have careers and children. They’ve watched Nolan’s friends have a life, something their son was denied.
In November of 2014, West Virginia University freshman Nolan Burch tragically lost his life in a hazing ritual perpetrated by members of an unrecognized fraternity in a house in Morgantown.
After being forced to consume a dangerous amount of alcohol in one sitting, Nolan clung to life while other students watched and laughed. One student recognized signs of distress, called for help and started performing CPR. But it was too late. Nolan was transported to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and subsequently died from alcohol-related injuries.
WVU President Gordon Gee charged the Division of Student Life to take systemic action, acknowledging that WVU had not been giving fraternity and sorority life the attention it needed to be a positive and healthy community of peers. In 2015, WVU established the Office of Greek Life, hiring full-time staff members to begin rebuilding.
The Burches appreciate WVU’s efforts to save other students’ lives, noting it is what their son would have wanted to happen. Still, Kim Burch wonders. “What would he be doing? Would he be that lawyer he wanted to be? Would he be married? Would he have kids? There are all the what-ifs.”
There is one “what-if” the Burches never want other parents to have to ask: “What if someone had helped my child sooner?” Ever since they buried Nolan on a hillside in a cemetery where the view looks much like the terrain of the West Virginia mountains he loved, they’ve been on a mission to prevent hazing and alcohol-related deaths.
And so they share Nolan’s story in a variety of ways. They speak at middle and high schools across the country; they share the documentary “Breathe, Nolan, Breathe” in health classes; they give students the tools and the courage to say something when they see someone in trouble. The goal is to save lives.There’s no goal beyond this. If we could just help one person and have their family not got through what we went through."
And it’s working. TJ Burch said he and Kim have been contacted by students who have seen the video and have been able to rescue their friends from dangerous situations.
“ The emails all say the same thing — '[“Breathe, Nolan, Breathe”] is why we stepped in. It’s why we did something.’ ”
— TJ Burch
Nolan Burch is known as many things — a son, a brother, a friend, a Mountaineer, a victim; however, he is most notably a catalyst for change. Nolan’s legacy lives on each day at West Virginia University, and his story’s impact has gone beyond our 304 area code. The Burches have joined WVU as forever Mountaineers and actively contribute to the eradication of hazing in all facets of student life.
“Nolan knew West Virginia University was home as soon as we visited. He loved this place, and after spending some time here, we can certainly understand why,” Kim Burch said. “We knew working with the school on our efforts was going to be the most effective way we can prevent this from happening again.”
‘A societal ill’
Today, Kimberly and TJ lead the Nolan M. Burch Foundation, which is centered on hazing prevention through raising awareness via Nolan’s story. NMB, along with the WouldYou? Campaign, work in tandem to equip students with the tools necessary to build a strong hazing prevention platform within their organizations or institutions. Each presentation brings an opportunity for one-on-one engagement with students and has provided anecdotal data to be used in future prevention efforts.
TJ Burch said the Foundation is in the process of establishing more of an online presence so that schools can use the tools they’ve developed if he and Kim can’t be there to present the information. The new website will focus on this 10th anniversary as the “Remember Nolan Project,” with the Nolan M. Burch Foundation, which has given scholarships, as a part of that.
Both TJ and Kim Burch believe more of a national presence will promote their cause of making students and parents aware of the dangers of hazing.
“Hazing is a societal ill. The reality is, we may never get rid of it completely. But I think the work we have done has made a difference … it’s saved lives,” TJ Burch said. “We read the press releases when an organization is being investigated for hazing and though we hate to see someone else experiencing such bad treatment, we know that the fact that the act was reported to the university or police is, in itself, a huge win.
“It’s not in the shadows anymore. People know we’re always willing to step in and help. I just hope that’s the case at the peer-to-peer level. You can be the person who stands up and actually does something. And you will save a life.”
Preventive measures
It is important to recognize that hazing prevention is not a valence issue. Unlike the act of wearing a seatbelt in a car or not using illicit drugs, not all members of society agree that hazing has no place in the student experience. Some liken hazing to a necessary experience that builds character. Some go as far as to compare what happens in a collegiate fraternity or sorority to how recruits are formed into men and women of the U.S. Armed Services. Grasping for justification of the act shows that the work WVU is doing around hazing prevention will be continuous and challenging. Still, Mountaineers Go First and we are steadfast in our quest to both eradicate hazing and provide safe alternatives to negative student traditions.
In 2019, WVU partnered with a City Drive Studios, whose CEO, Dan Catullo is an alumnus, to produce a now Emmy-award winning documentary titled “Breathe, Nolan, Breathe.” The brief documentary, written by Catullo and available for streaming free via YouTube, chronicles the story of Nolan’s passing and includes physicians, friends and family members of Nolan sharing their experiences surrounding his tragic death.
The Burches say they can tell Nolan’s story, but the video that shows both hazing and Nolan’s subsequent death has a visceral impact that words cannot convey. “This is all real,” TJ Burch said. “You know exactly what happened.”
WVU has proudly engaged in hazing prevention efforts and attributes those positive actions to Nolan’s death as the motivation.
The Hazing Prevention Task Force was established in 2017 and is the central working group of faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and campus partners who continuously raise awareness for hazing prevention across campus. Athletics, the Pride of West Virginia Marching Band, ROTC, Student Government, fraternity and sorority life, residence life and club sports, among others, hold active membership on the task force.
The University subscribes to PreventZone by AliveTek, Inc., which offers educational online modules focused on hazing prevention at WVU along with two content-based modules for athletics/club sports and fraternity and sorority life. Currently, all student members of Varsity Athletics, club sports and fraternity and sorority life are required to take the online training. Additionally, completing PreventZone is a requirement in Project 168, the University’s co-curricular learning experience.
The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities works more deliberately with the University’s general counsel and police to ensure that hazing investigations are conducted with intentionality, due diligence and a commitment to restorative justice. Outcomes for hazing investigations were designed to be consistent, direct and congruent with achievable goals.
WVU began observing National Hazing Prevention Week at the end of September each year, while offering innovating passive and active programs for various populations within the student body. The institution has sent staff and students annually to the Hazing Prevention Institute sponsored by the National Hazing Prevention Network. This multi-day immersive learning experience occurs during the summer months and brings together leading scholar-practitioners to share best practices for preventative efforts.
WVU has provided professional development funds for staff and students to earn the national Hazing Prevention Advocate Certification through AliveTek, Inc. and the National Hazing Prevention Network. Currently, a member of WVU staff serves as the lead facilitator for the certification and engages with professionals from across the country as part of the cohort experience.
The WouldYou? Campaign was launched nationally and provides a free, easily accessible tool kit that could be used by other educational institutions, organizations, athletic teams and special interest groups to establish hazing prevention efforts locally. A customizable facilitator guide is available for use in tandem with the “Breathe, Nolan, Breathe” documentary. Most notably, WVU decided not to brand the WouldYou? Campaign to allow easier access to any group wishing to share Nolan’s story in a more personal, organic setting.
The Center for Fraternal Values and Leadership launched the Nolan Burch Greek Leadership Academy in 2019, which is offered each semester for active members of the fraternity and sorority community. This eight-week cohort focuses on student leadership development, risk management, responsible social engagement and hazing prevention. Currently, more than 150 students have graduated from the Academy and carry the designation of “Burch Fellow.”
The WVU Hazing Prevention Task Force launched the Hazing Prevention Advocacy Network training for members of the WVU and Morgantown community. Participants learn to spot the signs of someone being hazed, what hazing is according to State law and University code and how to “refer up and refer out” so that a student can be connected with individuals at the University who can help them get out of hazing situations.
WVU joined the inaugural collaborative of the Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform in 2020 on a longitudinal study on hazardous drinking and hazing prevention, along with Louisiana State, Washington State, James Madison, Baylor and Penn State universities. This multiyear study will yield data-driven decision-making in terms of hazing prevention policy and efforts that will be personalized to each campus.
Currently, WVU is engaging with the West Virginia Legislature to strengthen the Anti-Hazing Law by extending its application to all institutions of education in West Virginia, not simply institutions of higher education.
Finally, WVU established the Nolan Burch Emergency Onlooker Response (Be On!) Fund , which provides financial support for students who qualify for medical amnesty under the Student Conduct Code to cover costs associated with medical transport and treatment. The Fund works to remove financial barriers that influence whether fellow students call for help in a time of need; 100% of funds received are immediately available for use by students on the Morgantown campus.
Matthew Richardson is the Director of the Center for Fraternal Values and Leadership and Project 168.
