Hank Nuwer, Author; Hazing Deaths Database Two close calls: Fraternity members at the University of Idaho and Washington State University survived house falls that could have killed or paralyzed one or both. Alcohol was a cause. News coverage was very flimsy. Were they pledges or members? They WERE underaged.
Here is the story link to the Daily Beacon
Excerpt:
In the first three weekends of school this semester, UTPD has received numerous reports of fraternities serving alcohol in frat houses, including to minors. Just last weekend, three different fraternity houses (Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi and Sigma Nu) produced ten underage consumption of alcohol citations and two arrests for underage consumption of alcohol.
“We almost had a student die who was allegedly drinking in a fraternity house,” Davis said. “I don’t want to talk to a parent and say, ‘Your son has died,’ or ‘Your daughter has died.'”
The incident she referred to occurred during the first weekend of school, when a male student fell and hit his head in Presidential Courtyard after attending a fraternity rush event. He recovered in the hospital.
Here is a fascinating court case about a fraternity that owns its house while Lafayette College in Easton, PA owns the land on which the house is built. Read the article for details.
Coined this today on Twitter @hazing as my motto for HazingPrevention Week 2012. Tweet it on. –Hank Nuwer
A good piece earlier this year featuring the Meredith family http://www.king5.com/news/Problem-of-hazing-is-not-going-away-138718909.html