by Staff Reporter | Oct 5, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
A former leader of a fraternity at Northern Arizona University (NAU) will serve two months in jail for the hazing that resulted in the death of a pledge earlier this year.
Coconino County Superior Court sentenced Carter Thomas Eslick, 20, to two months in jail and three years of supervised probation on Wednesday.
Conditions of his probation include creating and delivering 305 anti-hazing presentations, and maintaining sobriety.
That amount of jail time is a fraction of the mitigated sentencing attached to the charge Eslick originally faced.
Eslick was indicted for felony hazing in March, a class four offense which carries a sentence range of one to nearly four years in prison. Eslick had originally pleaded not guilty to the charge but later amended his plea to guilty in August as part of a plea deal which left jail time up to the court’s discretion.
Eslick was the new member educator, or pledge master, for the Theta Omega chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity at NAU. In that role, Eslick oversaw the activities that resulted in the alcohol poisoning that killed 18-year-old Colin Daniel Martinez on Jan. 31, 2026.
Martinez and three fellow Delta Tau Delta pledges were forced to consume vodka until they vomited as part of a “Spring Rush ’26” party at an off-campus Delta Tau Delta house. “Rush” refers to the fraternity recruitment process for new members.
Records reflect that Martinez was choking and gagging in his sleep, and that nobody present at the house called emergency services for nearly six hours.
Martinez had a blood alcohol level of 0.425%. Any level over 0.40% is considered potentially fatal, while levels from 0.30% to 0.40% are considered alcohol poisoning and potentially life threatening. The legal limit for driving in Arizona is 0.08%. An autopsy confirmed Martinez died from alcohol poisoning.
In addition to Eslick, fellow Delta Tau Delta chapter leaders Ryan Wiley Creech and Riley Michael Cass, both 20, were arrested. Neither Creech nor Cass were indicted; court records reflect that both of their cases were closed within days of their arrests.
The national Delta Tau Delta organization closed the NAU chapter following Martinez’s death.
Martinez’s father, Chris Martinez, told the court during sentencing that his son died for a lack of courage among the young men present that night in January.
“Courage. I use this word courage because that’s what’s required when fear, self-protection, or group loyalty or convenience tempt us to inaction instead of doing what another human being desperately needs us to do. What my son needed that night,” said Chris. “Courage that night would have meant stopping what was happening. Courage would have meant recognizing that a fraternity ritual was never more important than a human life.”
Martinez graduated from the Arizona Conservatory for Arts & Academics last May. Martinez planned to major in hotel and restaurant management at NAU, like his father. In an Instagram post, Martinez said he enjoyed photography, watching movies and sports, playing music, and collecting vinyls. Martinez also had an affection for animals, especially his pets.
Martinez is survived by his parents, Chris and Lindsey, and two sisters, Caitlyn and Malena.
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by Staff Reporter | Sep 24, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Progressive activist group leaders were charged and one was trespassed from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in connection with an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest.
The penalties resulted from the conduct of members from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Flagstaff during their ICE OUT protest earlier this month.
SDS Flagstaff is not a registered club on campus, and NAU does not recognize it as an official club on campus. The organization was founded in January 2026 and immediately began holding protests against ICE.
Kimberly Ott, associate vice president of University Strategic Communications, told The Lumberjack that SDS Flagstaff may register as an official club but has declined to take the necessary steps to fulfill registration requirements.
SDS Flagstaff Vice President Sarah Rogala and member Judah “Jay” Francabandera face allegations of code of conduct violations. Student Gio Alvarez also faces allegations. The students reportedly face penalties that may include suspension or expulsion.
The allegations include failure to comply with university officials and disrupting campus.
Rogala and Francabandera are scheduled to have their hearings on the charges later this month.
The organization held another protest opposing the charges against Rogala and Francabandera.
SDS is also accused of posting flyers and tabling on campus property, and using sound amplification without NAU permission.
Rogala was charged with code of conduct violations last semester and received probation set to expire Nov. 1, 2026.
NAU also trespassed Claire Wagoner, who is the SDS Flagstaff president, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization in Flagstaff, and a former NAU student.
Wagoner was also charged with code of conduct violations last semester as well. Those violations resulted in her receiving a deferred suspension set to expire May 1, 2028.
SDS Flagstaff is also demanding that NAU turn itself into a “sanctuary campus,” meaning that law enforcement could not detain illegal aliens on the property. SDS Flagstaff renewed their demands to the university in a statement following an ICE enforcement action that occurred on September 16.
“On Wednesday, September 16th, ICE agents kidnapped someone from Flagstaff, and these terrorists threatened to raid his home and kidnap his wife and children if they did not ‘self deport,’” stated SDS Flagstaff. “[ICE] is terrorizing anyone and everyone these fascist agents deem not white enough to be ‘legal.’”
In February, the organization held a sit-in protest and submitted more than 400 petition signatures as part of demands that NAU implement sanctuary campus policies. Justin Mallett, NAU’s vice president of Inclusive Excellence, and Bernadine Lewis, program director of Inclusive Excellence, met with Wagoner and Rogala but ultimately denied their demands.
That month, SDS Flagstaff also successfully protested against campus visits by the CIA, Border Patrol, and ICE. The CIA was scheduled to answer student questions, and all three agencies were anticipated to appear for the university’s Career Fair programming.
In March, SDS Flagstaff members demanded the Flagstaff City Council approve an ordinance from Keep Flagstaff Together banning ICE from operating on city property. The council rejected the proposed ordinance.
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by Matthew Holloway | Apr 14, 2026 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
A new report from the Goldwater Institute alleges that Arizona’s public universities are not complying with state requirements to provide students with instruction in American civics, history, and economics. The findings follow previous Goldwater reports examining the integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion content into both honors and American civics courses.
The report, titled “Civic Decline: Arizona’s Public Universities Smuggle DEI into Required American Civics Courses,” examines how the state’s three public universities are implementing the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) American Institutions policy within their general education programs.
The policy requires universities to incorporate coursework covering key areas of American civics, explicitly stating:
“The study of American Institutions will include at minimum (I) how the history of the United States continues to shape the present; (II) the basic principles of American constitutional democracy and how they are applied under a republican form of government; (III) the United States Constitution and major American constitutional debates and developments; (IV) the essential founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of American Institutions of self-governance; (V) landmark Supreme Court cases that have shaped law and society; (VI) the civic actions necessary for effective citizenship and civic participation in a self-governing society – for example civil dialog and civil disagreement; and (VII) basic economic knowledge to critically assess public policy options and to inform professional and personal decisions.”
The report asserts that some universities are allowing courses outside of traditional civics instruction to satisfy those requirements.
Timothy Minella, director of higher education policy at the Goldwater Institute and the report’s author, said universities are not meeting the intent of the requirement.
“Arizona’s public universities are failing students by allowing niche courses steeped in DEI to satisfy the state’s robust history and civics requirements,” Minella said in a statement released with the report.
At Arizona State University, Minella states that courses such as “Anthropology of American Democracy,” “Social Welfare, Work, and Justice in the US,” and “Theatre and U.S. Democracy” are being used to meet civics requirements.
He argues that the first course, “ ‘Anthropology of American Democracy,’ fails to meet AMIT requirements and instead centers on the claim that American society oppresses certain groups.”
“The syllabus states that the course ‘emphasizes the relationship between personal narratives and broader historical forces, highlighting how belonging, rights, and obligations are experienced differently across diverse social, racial, and cultural contexts.’ … In the list of required readings for the course, there are only two that could plausibly be considered ‘founding documents’: the U.S. Constitution (which appears in only one section of the course) and the Declaration of Sentiments from the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention.
Almost every other reading comes from specialized anthropological studies, including ‘I’m American, not Japanese!: The Struggle for Racial Citizenship among Later-Generation Japanese Americans’ and ‘Replicate, Facilitate, Disseminate: The Micropolitics of U.S. Democracy Promotion in Bolivia.’ Revealing the course’s leftist orientation, one module covers ‘anthropology’s role in American Empire Building,’ requiring students to read excerpts from Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World.”
At Northern Arizona University, Minella’s report identifies courses such as “Sociology of Chicanx and Latinx Communities” and “Indigenizing Museums and the Art World” as qualifying for civics and history requirements.
The report also alleges that the University of Arizona has failed to implement the American Institutions policy.
Minella wrote, “In utter defiance of ABOR’s directive, the University of Arizona (UA) has so far failed to implement AMIT at all. UA’s plan to integrate AMIT into general education has been mired in delays and troubling protocols.”
In December 2025, Mark Stegeman, an associate professor of economics at the University of Arizona, warned the university was failing to implement a civics program in accordance with the ABOR mandate, describing the U of A proposal for a single 3-unit course as “a car crash in the making.”
The report recommends that state lawmakers take action if universities do not fully comply with the policy.
The findings follow a separate March report from the Goldwater Institute examining honors colleges at Arizona public universities, including Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, and the W.A. Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona, and the integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into honors programs and American civics courses.
The Civic Decline report is available on the Goldwater Institute’s website.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 1, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
A Northern Arizona University (NAU) fraternity leader faces a felony for the hazing death of a pledge.
The Coconino County Attorney’s Office announced the indictment of Carter Thomas Eslick, 20, last Friday. Eslick was the “new member educator” (or, “pledge master”) for Theta Omega chapter of their fraternity, Delta Tau Delta (DTD), at NAU. Eslick faces a class four felony for hazing, which carries a prison term between one and nearly four years for a first offense.
In January, 18-year-old freshman Colin Daniel Martinez died from alcohol poisoning under the watch of NAU DTD leaders. Martinez was a pledge candidate attending an exclusive “Spring Rush ‘26” party at an off-campus DTD house. “Rush” refers to the recruitment process for sororities and fraternities. Martinez was one of four pledges to attend the party.
Eslick was arrested on suspicion of hazing following Martinez’s death along with two other executive DTD members: vice president Ryan Wiley Creech, 20, and treasurer Riley Michael Cass, 20. Neither Creech or Cass currently face charges.
“The loss of a young person is always a tragedy,” said Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker. “Our hearts are with Colin Martinez’s family, and we will diligently pursue this case toward a just resolution.”
Per court documents, the pledges were ordered to bring warm clothing, pillow cases, and phone chargers to the party. The pledges were transported to the party blindfolded using pillowcases over their heads. In order to complete their initiation, DTD ordered the pledges to drink the entirety of two handles of vodka together: that’s about a gallon of vodka, or around 80 shots.
Records reflect DTD members observed Martinez as unresponsive on an air mattress, but waited hours to contact police.
When police responded the morning after the party, they discovered Martinez had a blood alcohol content of .425 percent: over five times the legal limit. Paramedics arrived after, but Martinez died at the scene. The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office attributed Martinez’s death to alcohol poisoning.
DTD International issued a statement condemning the hazing incident. The organization placed the local chapter on indefinite suspension, then voted to close the chapter.
“Our position on hazing is clear: it is the antithesis of brotherhood and a violation of the values of Delta Tau Delta,” said DTD International.
Arizona lawmakers made it a felony crime to haze under Jack’s Law passed in 2022. In their statement, DTD International voiced support for the law.
State Sen. John Kavanaugh (R-LD3) sponsored Jack’s Law, named after Jack Culolias, a 19-year-old Arizona State University (ASU) freshman who died by drowning following an off-campus party with the ASU chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) in 2012.
ASU expelled SAE following Culolias’ death and another incident several months later involving the abandonment of an intoxicated underaged member, Aidan Mohr, at a hospital. Mohr had nearly five times the legal limit in his system.
In 2019, ASU allowed SAE to recharter following the petitions of SAE-Phoenix Alumni. SAE-Phoenix Alumni’s reintroduction to campus around August 2018 coincided with the opening of the Greek Leadership Village, an on-campus enclave dedicated to housing several dozen of the fraternities and sororities.
It didn’t take long for ASU SAE to be removed again. The chapter was suspended last October over another hazing incident concerning the nonconsensual recording and distribution of video featuring a nude female student in 2023.
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by Staff Reporter | Mar 19, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The honor colleges at all three of the state’s universities are mandating courses educating students on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
The Goldwater Institute detailed two of the three colleges in a newly released investigatory report, “Desert Brain Drain.”
The three honors colleges in Arizona are Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University (ASU), which has about 7,500 students enrolled; the Honors College at Northern Arizona University (NAU), which has about 1,500 students enrolled; and the W.A. Franke Honors College at University of Arizona (U of A), which has about 4,500 students enrolled.
The Goldwater Institute found through public records that one of ASU Barrett Honors College’s required courses, The Human Event, hid a majority (85 percent) of its syllabi from the online catalog. ASU waited nearly a year to respond to Goldwater’s records requests on the hidden spring 2025 syllabi, and in its response, it redacted the names of the professors associated with the courses with the hidden syllabi.
Those records did reveal that 70 percent of the hidden syllabi from the spring 2025 catalog contained DEI content focusing on the alleged systemic oppression of certain identities related to race, gender, and sexual orientation.
Among the topics advanced by these hidden syllabi were the critical race theory concept of anti-racism, land acknowledgements, explorations of sexuality, decolonization, secularization, globalization, and transgenderism — with some content being graphic.
The W.A. Franke Honors College at U of A requires students to choose among the courses offered within its Honors Seminar, many which focus on DEI subjects similar to those presented by ASU Barrett Honors College required courses. Several courses focused on deconstruction of personal identity within the context of social justice, breaking down the idea of the self through the recognition of personal identities — race, gender, religion, class, and “social violence” — and recontextualizing the fractured and rebuilt self on political activism.
Although NAU Honors College was not included within the Goldwater Institute’s report, their primary required course (HON 190: Honors Colloquium) contained similar explorations of identity-based systemic oppression.
The spring 2026 semester came with two class options for the mandatory course, taught by professors Perry Davidson and Dina Yordy.
Davidson’s class requires students to read three novels challenging religion and embracing secularism: the classic work, “The Great Gatsby,” “Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,” in which a lesbian leaves the Pentecostal community she grew up in, and “So Far From God,” in which characters serve to display criticisms of Catholicism and patriarchal structures while exploring decolonization and political activism.
Yordy’s class requires students to read three works as well: “The Piano Lesson,” a play about a Black family’s history with slavery and systemic racism, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” a novel about the persecution of a family by the intolerant religious townspeople, and “Home,” a novel advocating for the social justice understanding of homes through discussions of homelessness and immigration.
Timothy Minella, Goldwater Institute’s Director of Higher Education, argued in a press release that DEI shouldn’t be a requirement for Honors degrees at public universities.
“This isn’t just an Arizona problem,” he said. “Taxpayers and lawmakers across the country should pay attention to what’s happening in their universities and not sit idly by while activist professors indoctrinate our next generation of leaders on the public dime.”
Although the Arizona legislature has not been successful in its attempts to ban DEI in higher education, President Donald Trump did issue a series of executive orders last spring to cut off federal funding for entities advancing DEI. Those orders have been challenged and even struck down in court.
In an effort to circumvent these judicial challenges, the General Services Administration recently announced a proposed rule change blocking federal funding for schools implementing DEI.
Goldwater’s full report can be found here.
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