Documentary brings awareness to dangers of hazing

Posted: Nov 14, 2019 / 06:15 PM EST / Updated: Nov 14, 2019 / 06:15 PM EST

Photo courtesy of West Virginia University

February 07 2021 06:00 pm

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – The parents of a West Virginia University student who died of alcohol poisoning after being found unconscious at a fraternity house have attended a documentary about the dangers of hazing.

News outlets report Kim and TJ Burch were at the screening of “Breathe, Nolan, Breathe” Wednesday night at WVU’s Gluck Theatre. It was produced by WVU alumnus Daniel Catullo.

The documentary shows graphic footage from a security camera inside the Kappa Sigma house in Morgantown, including a fraternity member attempting to perform CPR on 18-year-old Nolan Burch in November 2014.

Burch was found unconscious and not breathing. He was from Williamsville, New York, a Buffalo suburb. Police determined it was an alcohol-related death.

Last year the West Virginia University Board of Governors settled the family’s lawsuit for $250,000.

WVU released the film on YouTube stating, “Nov. 14 marks the fifth anniversary of WVU student Nolan Burch’s death. The documentary film “Breathe, Nolan, Breathe,” produced by City Drive Entertainment Group and WVU, focuses on what happened in the early hours of Nov. 13, what should have happened and what the campus community can do to make sure it never happens again.“

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