Author: Hank Nuwer

If so, this may be a hazing death. Moderator

Excerpt from the Lafayette student newspaper

President Daniel H. Weiss confirmed Wednesday that freshman Everett Glenn was taking part in an underground recruiting event the morning of his death on All College Day.

“There’s clear circumstantial evidence that Everett was participating in a recruiting event for an organization that had lost its charter a year ago,” Weiss said. “That’s KDR.”

The National Fraternity of Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) revoked the charter of its Lafayette chapter in June 2011.

Former KDR affiliates maintain that no underground chapter exists here on campus.

“All there is on this campus are 17 alumni members,” said one KDR alumnus who wished to remain anonymous. Another source close to the KDRs was adamant that they are no more than a group of friends.

“The administration has strong evidence for what they’re asserting,” Weiss said. “Very strong evidence.” He declined to elaborate on what that evidence was, but confirmed that it included testimony from people who had seen Glenn on All College Day.

Until now, the school has said little about the circumstances surrounding Glenn’s death, which was attributed to “acute ethanol intoxication” in the State of the College email sent by Weiss and Board of Trustees Chair Ed Ahart ‘69 in August.

Weiss, while admitting that he is unsure whether KDR is underground or not, said, “Everett was awakened at 4 o’clock in the morning as part of a recruitment event by a group of people who were affiliated with the former KDR, and they went to a party.”

Some students disagree with Weiss’s assessment.

“Everett chose to get up early—very early—and start drinking,” a junior and self-identified friend of KDR alumni said. “To say that he was woken up is false.”

Weiss is not the only one pointing to the former fraternity. Last week, at the Presidential Search Meeting in Boston, Ahart told alumni that Glenn had been drinking with an unrecognized student group. There had been “a lot of forced drinking,” he said.

Weiss clarified that KDR was not responsible for Glenn’s death, but did supply the freshman with alcohol that morning. Glenn had reportedly been drinking with a number of groups that day.

Weiss said he did not discuss KDR’s involvement earlier in the investigation because the group is unsanctioned and unrecognized.

And a lesson for all involved in hazing. If you’re there when a hazing goes real wrong, your life goes REAL wrong. Bystander who did nothing to stop Robert Champion’s beating death now wants to be set free of felony charge. A lesson for bystanders everywhere. Assuming bystander/bandstander Ryan Dean’s claim is true. Uhhuh.  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-famu-hazing-champion-ryan-dean-20121025,0,7391566.story

Mother of Robert Champion scorns the first man given just probation in her son’s death. http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/hazing-victims-mom-blasts-deceitful-lies-in-court-17537732

No jail time for first defendant with supposedly minimal involvement in the death of Robert Champion. Judge throws a light book at him–probation  http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/22/first-defendant-sentenced-in-famu-hazing-case/

Florida A & M shuts down a professional sorority. This has to be taking its toll on staff but FAMU gets praise for sticking to its antihazing stance. http://www.theroot.com/buzz/another-hazing-incident-famu

Opinion by Moderator: Like the death of Daniel Riordan at Maryland and so many others, fraternity members literally required their pledges to lock themselves up in a room with booze and poison themselves until they vomited.  Unfortunately, one died. And now the coverup has begun and no one is talking to reporters. In fact, fraternity members have circled the wagons and now are refusing to talk to police. Read about it here. Moderator

This is the chapter prior to the death:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6mb4ZRNapM

Coroner: Fresno State freshman died of ‘acute intoxication’

By BoNhia Lee- The Fresno Bee

The Fresno State freshman who died after a night
of drinking at a fraternity house near campus
died of complications of acute intoxication, the
Fresno County Coroner’s Office said Monday.

Philip Dhanens’ blood-alcohol level was 0.36 at
the time of his death, Coroner David Hadden said.
Generally, a level of 0.40 is enough to kill
someone, but the lethal level can vary, depending on the person, Hadden said.

Dr. Venu Gopal, the chief forensic pathologist
who conducted the autopsy, said Dhanen had
swelling of the brain as a result of his alcohol consumption.

The strapping 18-year-old from Bakersfield was
only a couple weeks into his first semester of
college when he pledged with the Theta Chi fraternity.

On Aug. 31, he went to a party at the
fraternity’s off-campus house, where alcohol was
reportedly abundant. Two days later, Dhanens died at a Fresno hospital.

Hadden said the autopsy results took a while
because his office also did tests to determine
whether Dhanens had any drugs in his system. The tests came back negative.

Theta Chi’s recognition has been suspended by the
university and by the fraternity’s national
headquarters at least until Fresno police and
university leaders finish their investigation into Dhanens’ death.

Dhanens’ death is Fresno State’s first such
fatality since early 2006, when 19-year-old Danny
Daniels Jr. was found dead in a room at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house.

Daniels had a blood-alcohol level of .34 — more
than four times the legal driving limit for
intoxication. Fresno police said Daniels died
after drinking at a Phi Gamma Delta party that
was attended by as many as 70 people.