Southern College is dedicated to honoring the lifetime of Caleb Wilson. This week, the Louisiana HBCU introduced that Wilson shall be awarded his bachelor’s diploma posthumously following the tragic hazing incident that value him his life.
“This spring, when Caleb would have walked throughout the stage within the F.G. Clark Exercise Middle with the Class of 2026, the College will bestow upon him a posthumous diploma,” the college shared in a press release. “We hope that this tribute displays our enduring respect for his dedication, his accomplishments, and the legacy he leaves inside the Southern College household.”
This information comes on the one-year anniversary of Wilson’s passing. On Feb. 27, 2025, the 20-year-old engineering main died after collaborating in an unsanctioned off-campus hazing ritual whereas pledging Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Officers in the end dominated his demise a murder, after an post-mortem revealed that punches to the chest in the end prompted Wilson to enter shock and later die from commotio cordis, which, in response to the Cleveland Clinic, creates an irregular coronary heart rhythm and cardiac arrest.
“The lack of Caleb has left an unimaginable void in our hearts,” the Wilson household shared on the time. “Caleb was a shiny and proficient younger man with a promising future forward of him. His ardour for all times, his dedication to his research, and his love for music and the Southern College ‘Human Jukebox’ Marching Band have been just some of the various qualities that made him a unprecedented particular person.”
For the reason that incident, Southern College expelled the Beta Sigma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and 5 people reportedly concerned within the state of affairs have been indicted by police. The late scholar’s household filed a wrongful demise lawsuit towards the expelled Omega Psi Phi chapter and the nationwide group, together with the state of Louisiana, Southern College, and people believed to have been concerned in his demise.
“At the moment, Southern College and A&M Faculty pauses to recollect Caleb Wilson, a beloved member of the Jaguar Nation whose presence we proceed to overlook deeply,” the college’s current assertion added. “Caleb’s vibrant character, heat spirit, and regular dedication left a long-lasting impression on classmates, professors, and associates.”
“On this one-year anniversary of his passing, we bear in mind not solely the lack of Caleb, however his life, which was stuffed with pleasure and significant connection. We proceed to carry his household particularly shut in our ideas. Caleb’s spirit will at all times reside on and stay a cherished, impactful a part of Southern College,” the HBCU concluded.
