this is "nightline." >> tonight, left to die? 18 fraternity members facing charges over a hazing ritual gone badly wrong. a penn state pledge suffering head injuries and then death. >> this did not have to happen. >>, his brothers waiting a reported 12 hours before any calls for help. text messages allegedly showing a cover-up. one student claims he was pushed aside when he tried to intervene. >> i was screaming and yelling, i was saying take him to the hospital. >> what he's now saying about that horrific night. plus -- ♪ i want to see you be brave >> brave on broadway. grammy-nominated singer sara bareilles going from pop star to stage star with her hit musical "waitress." >> do you feel like a broadway star? >> oh, my god, no. no.

crazy. stop. >> why she chose to take a break from her mega hit music career and what comes next for the super talent whose dreams keep coming true. and class act. ♪ "super bass" singer nicki minaj proving super generous offering to pay college tuition for selected students who show her straight as on twitter. the lucky fans who received thousands overnight. but first here, the "nightline" 5. and number 1 is coming up in ju

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♪ good evening. and we're going to start here tonight with the horror that played out inside a frat house at penn state university as a 19-year-old lay dying after a night of alcohol-fueled hazing, the fraternity brothers allegedly did little to help. instead, their concern was reportedly how to cover it all up. tonight we hear from the one student who says he tried to help. >> i lost it. i was like -- i was screaming and yelling, i was saying we need to take him to the hospital, we should call an ambulance, dial 911. >> reporter: if the brothers of beta theta pi at penn state had taken the advice kordel davis says he gave after timothy piazza fell down the stairs at a fraternity party, timothy might still be alive.

but instead they reportedly waited nearly 12 hours to call for help and the 19-year-old died from traumatic brain injury. tonight 18 penn state fraternity brothers are facing charges, eight of them charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault. >> it's heartbreaking all around. there's no winners. we don't win by even charging these young men because the only win is for him to be alive. >> reporter: piazza, an engineering major from new jersey, remembered by his family as a vibrant young man. his brother mike wrote on facebook that timothy's sole mission in life "was to make other people smile." >> he didn't know that he was walking that night into a den of depravity. tim piazza was in a forced hazing ritual of alcohol poisoning. >> reporter: on friday piazza's parents spoke out at a press conference. >> this didn't have to happen. this is the result of a feeling of entitlement, flagrant disobedience of the law, and

disregard for moral values. >> reporter: on the night of february 2nd prosecutors say piazza and 13 other beta theta pi pledges participated in a hazing ritual called the gauntlet, consuming four to five drinks in just two minutes. >> pledges and make them drink copious amounts of alcohol really quickly. >> reporter: piazza then reportedly fell down a flight of stairs. one brother allegedly texted another, "he fell 15 feet down a flight of stairs hair first. going to need help." piazza was reportedly lying unconscious on the stair landing and was then carried to a couch. >> everybody was surrounding him basically laughing, pointing. they were the ones making jokes. they were the ones laughing, not timothy. >> reporter: kordel davis, who was in the room, says he did everything in his power to get someone to help his friend. >> right away i kind of like started freaking out. so i'm saying, if tim fell he cannot be here on this couch, he needs to be taken to the hospital, we should call 911. >> reporter: a grand jury report released on friday sheds light on what allegedly happened inside that fraternity house.

detailing surveillance video that the report says captured nearly eight hours of the sophomore's increasing distress, an injured piazza trying to get up, repeatedly falling over and over again. four men seen dragging his limp body upstairs, others trying to rouse him by slapping his face and pouring water over him. >> this was the worst possible debauchery and depravity that you could possibly have. the acts of callousness toward a young man who was horribly wounded and was left to die. >> reporter: after 10:00 a.m. the following morning piazza was reportedly found lying on the couch breathing heavily with blood on his face. >> he had very serious injuries. he had irreversible brainstem injury. >> reporter: but allegedly no one immediately called 911. the report says at 10:35 a.m. one brother was searching on his phone for the phrase "falling asleep after head injury" and a few minutes later at 10:41 a.m.,

"binge drinking alcohol," "bruising or discoloration," "cold feet and cold hands." then at 10:48 a.m. the brothers finally decided to call 911. nearly 12 hours after piazza's fall. raising little alarm on the call about piazza's dire condition and giving the dispatcher precious few details. >> what's going on today? >> we have a friend who's unconscious. he hasn't moved. probably going to need an ambulance. >> and was he breathing? >> he is breathing. >> was there any alcohol or anything involved do you know? >> yes, there is. >> and when they finally did call for help, they did not tell anyone that he had fallen. >> reporter: piazza had died the next day in the intensive care unit. his blood alcohol-level was .40, five times the legal limit, according to the repos. os allege his frat brothers were trying to cover up their drinking and coordinate a

story. >> of course it's a tragedy. but you know, that doesn't mean there was any intent involved in any of this. >> reporter: investigators say only one student, kordel davis, who is not charged, tried to help but was literally pushed aside. >> i got pushed into a wall. i got told that i needed to leave the room, this is something that happens all the time, that they're so used to doing this that they know how to handle the situation. i felt pretty useless and powerless. >> reporter: davis sat down with my colleague, robin roberts, earlier today on "good morning america." >> you didn't think to remove yourself from the situation and get your friend help? >> i did. i told -- i said he needs to be at the hospital right now. i said -- >> you didn't feel like you could leave? >> i was told that i was overreacting. >> kordel davis at least stood up for the proposition that we need to call 911. to let another human being in a

deteriorating condition with clear severe injuries continue to die in front of their very eyes is unjustifiable. >> reporter: an eerily similar campus death happened back in 2009. 18-year-old joseph dado was found dead at the bottom of a campus stairwell after a night of drinking at two fraternities. his death was ruled accidental. the president of penn state called the alleged details of piazza's death "sickening and difficult to understand." penn state has now permanently banned the fraternity beta theta pi stating hazing and dangerous drinking are not permitted. >> the problem is the way in which fraternities and a lot of groups where men are sort of brought into becoming like real men is it's about subjugation and domination and abuse. >> ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the night's main event. >> reporter: fraternity life is

often airbrushed by hollywood. in movies such as "old school." ♪ and "animal house." ♪ i give >> hello? >> get your ugly [ bleep ] out of the house in 11 minutes or you're dead. >> last year "goat" sought to shed life on the dark underbelly of greek life. >> guantanamo style. here we go. >> reporter: juju chang spoke with the brothers whose real-life experiences with greek life provided the inspiration for "goat." >> as i'm watching some of these scenes, the duct tape scene, the cage scene, i'm thinking this can't -- >> i think it's kind of tame. it can be a bit tame, actually. squlu think it >> you think it's worse in real life? >> yes. it was worse. >> reporter: the consequences of hazing are dire. at least one person has died from the practice every year since 1969. among them 19-year-old chun michael dang. in 2013 authorities say members of the pi delta psi frat from

baruch college forced deng and his fellow pledges to run across a frozen field blindfolded weighted down with 30-pound backpacks all while being assaulted. >> he was singled out and he was treated harsher than the other pledges. >> reporter: deng lost consciousness and police say it took the students nearly two hours before they drove him to a hospital. he later died. >> a lot of individuals who refuse to cooperate, they lie to the police, they hid and try to hide evidence. >> reporter: 37 students were indicted but so far only one brother has pled guilty to charges connected to deng's death. five are awaiting trials on third degree murder charges. back at penn state eight more fraternity brothers are scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow afternoon, but the charges are bringing little comfort to a family rocked with grief and a campus shaken by a death that could have been avoided. >> no one should ever stop someone from trying to call for help. up next here, we switch

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sara bareilles has been a pop superstar for years, so it's hard to believe that her childhood dreams are just now coming true. but that's what she's saying about her debut as a composer and actress in her broadway musical "waitress."

abc's gio benitez takes us behind the scenes of the smash hit show. >> the first time i saw the marquee i completely lost my mind. ♪ i want to see you be brave >> reporter: hit singles like "brave" may have catapulted sara bareilles to the top of the charts, but for the multigrammy nominee this is where her childhood dreams are finally coming true. >> there it is right there. starring sara bareilles. >> i know. that's me. >> reporter: her name shining bright under those broadway lights. >> to be as cheesy as i can be, it's like childhood fantasy coming true in a way i would never have imagined. >> do you feel like a broadway star? >> oh, my god, no. no. crazy. stop. >> but you never felt like a pop star either. >> no. i'm just a schmoby from the sticks. >> reporter: all a piece of humble pie from the current lead actress in one of the hottest tickets on broadway, "waitress: the musical." ♪ sugar, butter, flour ♪ don't let me down in the show she plays jenna, a small town waitress full of big

dreams and in search of a new life, a better life far from her abusive husband. this would mark her second role in what has become a passion project for the singer-songwriter who first left the world of pop to join the "waitress" production as the lead composer. >> i was getting fatigued of the cyclical nature of being a pop artist where you write a record, record a record, go on tour, promote, come home, do it all again. so i just was ready to work on something different. ♪ it's not easy to know >> reporter: for 3 1/2 years she worked tirelessly to bring the show to life. one song at a time. ♪ she used to be mine >> i rewrote the opening number 40 times. >> wow. >> like i wanted to absolutely tear my hair out and throw people across the room. it was so frustrating. but that pressure cooker is i think actually kind of an exciting place to be. ♪ for a chance to start over

>> reporter: those catchy and heartfelt show tunes like "she used to be mine" would lead to a tony nomination. in the past decade a constellation of accomplishments from a best-selling book to a list of hit songs that would lead to six grammy nominations. singles like "love song." ♪ i'm not gonna write you a love song ♪ and "brave." ♪ i want to see you be brave >> this anthony elm the perfect example of how she's not afraid of getting personal. >> "brave" is a love letter to one of my best friends. a dear friend of mine who was struggling with coming out. i just wanted to say to them like it's okay to be yourself. there's love waiting for you. >> reporter: and now it's bareilles herself experiencing that love. eight performances a week. stepping in to fill the shoes of tony winner jesse muller. >> completely totally intimidating. jesse is a singular talent. >> stepping out here for the first time was unreal.

>> i can imagine. what were you thinking when you just first looked out here? >> just -- i mean, i can't say it because it's network television. but oh, my gosh. like oh, my god. it's real. >> reporter: and it's not going unnoticed. bareilles holding her own with some of the biggest names on broadway. >> and it just so happens for you that this is a time when you have glenn close there. >> my arch-nemesis. >> bette midler. >> i know. incredible humans on broadway. >> do you at times feel like you're pretending on broadway? or even pretending when you're writing songs? >> i don't want to fake anybody out and make them think i'm a great actress. what i want to do is come and do my best work and work really hard at being great at honoring the craft. ♪ heartbeat >> that hard work paying porch during her first week as lead actress the show bringing in more than a million dollars in ticket sales, a record for this

theater. >> this show is just becoming comfort food for people, and they really love the story. >> hello, jenna. >> reporter: the show, based on the 2007 film "waitress" starring keri russell. >> how's the bad husband? >> excuse me, i feel like i'm going to be sick. >> reporter: it's a very musical movie, though. there are movies that just sort of sing a little bit, and this to me is one of them. >> reporter: the indie film written and directed by adrienne shelley, who would also star in the film. shelley was tragically murdered in 2006, right before the release. >> reporter: we get to carry on her legacy. >> reporter: another example of the sisterhood behind the project, "waitress" would become the first broadway show with an all-female creative group. and while other musicians, cyndi lauper and carole king, have brought their music to the broadway stage, bareilles joins the ranks of sting and billy joe armstrong. ♪ don't want to be an american idiot ♪ >> as both composers and act rorsz. ♪ don't want a nation under the

new media ♪ >> in their own broadway show. do you think you're going to continue in that role on broadway possibly doing other shows? >> i certainly would love to revisit the composer hat and write another show. >> reporter: an opportunity she says that has completely allowed her to change her life. >> the people that i'm close to, the things that i do professionally, my colleagues, my best friend, my boyfriend, like all of these things have come to me because of this show. and it's really beautiful. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm gio benitez in new york. up next here, the singer of "starships" nicki minaj paying some college tuition for a few lucky twitter followers. the tweet that started it all. ♪ were meant to fly ♪ hands up and touch the sky ♪ can't stop because i'm so high ♪ ♪ let's do it one more time (vo) more "doing chores for mom"

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wounded warrior project has developed the warriors to work program, a unique program that helps wounded warriors translate their military experience to the civilian workplace. the warriors to work program also works with employers to find the right job for the right warrior. contact wounded warrior project at findwwp.org. welcome home the brave. ♪ when you recognize something isn't right, make the call to the veterans crisis line at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. finally, you've heard of the g.i. bill. this is the nicki minaj version.

♪ sound the alarm. nicki minaj making an offer to help pay for college. it all started when a fan asked the star to help pay his tuition, and she agreed with conditions. no essay, no application fees. the rapper tweeting "show me straight as that i can verify with your school and i'll pay it." who wants to join that contest? dozens then taking her up on the offer. minaj promising to cover costs from textbooks to student loans for more than 20 students. ♪ 'cause i don't need no true to her music, though, she is taking no fra. tweeting at one user if you give me a 4.0 then i'll keep my end of the bargain. nicki minaj is not the only a-lister who's showing some fan love recently. ♪ ♪ got a long list of ex-lovers that'll tell you i'm insane ♪ taylor swift shocked a bride with a surprise wedding performance of "blank space." >> bring in the wedding singer, please. >> reporter: here's ed sheeran thinking out loud.

♪ people fall in love in mysterious ways ♪ brilliantly giving a couple this wedding gift. and kylie jenner accompanying a dateless teenager to prom. while minaj wrapped her contest after a few hours, the night is still young to get those grades up for a chance in the future. ♪ the night is still young ♪ the night is still young >> thanks for watching abc news. >> thanks for watching abc news. as always we're i had big plans, i had my career path all planned out. while i was on a combat patrol in baqubah, iraq, a rocket-propelled grenade took my arm off at the shoulder. when i came home, i felt alone. my family was around me, but i couldn't talk to them about what i'd seen and what i'd done. i remember just thinking, man, the way i am right now, i don't want to live. i was discharged from the army, and i've been working with the wounded warrior project since 2007. warriors don't have to be severely wounded to be with the wounded warrior project.

we do have a lot of guys that have post-traumatic stress disorder. being able to share your story, i guess it kind of helps you wrap your mind around what did happen over there. just because you've left the military doesn't mean your life is over, because when these guys are coming home, i'm kind of leading and training them, instead of for combat, i'm leading and training them to heal. and if i come away with anything from the wounded warrior project, it's them giving my life back. my name is norbie, and yes, i do suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, but i'm okay. forged out of bravery, sacrifice, and duty. from all corners of the country, a family for life. ♪ but whether they served in lands far away or communities close to home, some of these men and women may face difficult times or even crisis.