So, I guess if they were told to drink Drano....they would have gulped it down. He was not forced to drink....he did so willingly & stupidly. Sadly, many kids die like this, but it is their own fault.
His supposed 'brothers' are also at fault. They set up the peer pressure and since everyone has done it the pledge feels the hazing is safe. Those overseeing this should be responsible enough to stop the pledge from drinking to the level of alcohol poisoning. (Especially since once the pledge has consumed enough alcohol he is in no condition to know he has had enough). They set up the ritual, they set up the rules and THEY are equally responsible. Even a bartender knows when to cut someone off and if he doesn't he could be held responsible.
If you're willing to pay a whole lot of money to join a fraternity just so you have friends, then doing stupid things they tell you to do is not that far fetched.
Paying for friends & drinking what they tell you. It's all the same flawed needy mindset.
Respectfully, while I agree that he made a choice to do this, to say that those he wanted to please had no culpability is an oversimplification. I do not feel that litigation is warranted but consider his situation. Fraternities are not inherently bad. Does that exonerate those that act irresponsibly from blame? I don't think for one minute that the frat bros were looking for someone to show restraint. They wanted to see drunk pledges. Should he have known better? Yes. Should they have? Yes.