DISCLAIMER: Article part of Old Black & Blue
By A.T. Rumpheater
Wofford College John E. Whiteman ’18, 21 years old, passed away on Saturday, March 25, from what police initially described as “an overdose of white privilege,” although later reports have preferred the term “socioeconomic event” to protect the reputation of the victim and his family.
Eyewitnesses say Whiteman was making a toast to Neoliberalism and the death of the Welfare State at his fraternity house, wearing a Trump-Pence 2016 campaign banner as a cape, when he suddenly collapsed, soiling his yellow Chubbies and pastel pink Vineyard Vines t-shirt. Whiteman reportedly prepared for his final toast with numerous racial and homophobic slurs set to the country smash-hit “Chicken Fried” by the Zac Brown Band. “It was just too much, man,” one of the other brothers said in an interview, “It was like his heart just couldn’t take it.”
Our editors have decided not to include the name of the time-honored and well-funded Greek organization in order to protect the standing of its members.
Fellow fraternity brothers and close friends of Whiteman, Liam Rich and Joe Straight, have made separate statements remembering their fallen brother as a beer pong champion and varsity misogynist. “Everybody loved him. He could just grab a girl if he wanted to—he didn’t even have to ask,” Rich told staff of the Old Gold and Black. Wofford administrators followed Rich’s comment with a statement asserting that this does not reflect the college’s attitudes on sexual assault but declined when asked to say whether an investigation into the actions of the fraternity members would be conducted.
President Samhat later referred to Whiteman’s death as “a tragedy for our entire Wofford family” in a college-wide email, although certain conservative student groups responded hours later with a petition asking that Samhat retract his comment on the grounds that it “violates our right not to give a damn.”
Although witnesses and college officials say there were no indications of foul play, police say they have several suspects in mind surrounding Whiteman’s death—predominantly male African-American students and staff at Wofford. The Old Gold and Black will continue to provide information as the case unfolds.
DISCLAIMER: Article part of Old Black & Blue
