Hank Nuwer, Author; Hazing Deaths Database

Here is the link

A plea agreement was reached Monday for three men accused in a hazing incident for a fraternity at EKU last year.

Alonzo McGill, 31, Thomas Barnes, 21, and Gabriel McLaren, 22, were all charged with fourth-degree assault after fraternity pledge Brent Whiteside was severely injured and hospitalized with renal failure in March. Police say Whiteside told them he was beaten with a paddle, cane and fists while pledging for EKU’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi from January to March.

With the plea deal, all three defendants pleaded guilty to the fourth-degree assault charges, and all were sentenced to home incarceration rather than jail time. McClaren will serve 100 days, McGill 70 and Barnes 40. At the end of 2009, all three can ask for the charges to be dropped against them and their records cleared.

Whiteside said Monday that he accepts the plea deals, but also said that he would have rather the trio serve some of their sentences in jail.

Here is the story link

by Hannah Hoffman | News Reporter |
PUBLISHED ON 1/5/09 IN News

Nick Duletzke, president of Theta Chi, carries boxes as he and his father move from the former fraternity house. The fraternity, which had been on probation, is no longer recognized by the University after it violated conduct standards during a group retreat.
Media Credit: Dave Martinez
Nick Duletzke, president of Theta Chi, carries boxes as he and his father move from the former fraternity house. The fraternity, which had been on probation, is no longer recognized by the University after it violated conduct standards during a group retreat.

University sophomore Adam Lee and three other members of the Theta Chi fraternity spent winter break looking for a place to live. It was a difficult search – most housing was already taken by students. In Lee’s case it was harder because the four men had to accommodate a fifth roommate – their 1-year-old border collie, Steve.

Early last month the University announced the fraternity’s disaffiliation, meaning that “Theta Chi is no longer recognized as a University of Oregon fraternity,” as stated in a memorandum to the University Greek community. The decision came after fall term in which Theta Chi was found guilty of hazing and also incurred $10,000 worth of damages at a resort while on a retreat.

The fraternity’s house also closed, as decided by the local Theta Chi alumni board, said former Theta Chi president and University senior Ken Cruickshank. The decision left at least 30 residents of the house in need of places to live. It also affected freshman pledges who canceled their University housing contracts with the intent to live in the Theta Chi house starting winter term.

The disaffiliation process required action by several administrators, said Theta Chi president and University junior Nick Duletzke. Greek Leadership Advisor Amy Long began the process by contacting Carl Yeh, director of student conduct and community, Duletzke said. Eventually the evidence in support of disaffiliation reached Laura Blake Jones, dean of students, who wrote an official recommendation to disaffiliate, which University President Dave Frohnmayer signed, Duletzke said.

Jones and Yeh could not be reached for comment.

Cruickshank said Theta Chi had been on probation for several years because of poor behavior. On Dec. 2, 2005, Eugene Police Department cited the fraternity as one entity for an alcohol-related infraction, EPD spokeswoman Jenna LaBounty said. A second citation followed in spring 2006.

Cruickshank said that in March 2007 the fraternity neared collapse after another fraternity reported Theta Chi for loading beer kegs into trucks to use for an official function. As a result, Theta Chi “came extraordinarily close to a mandated shutdown,” Cruickshank wrote in an e-mail.

From that time until fall 2008, Theta Chi worked on improving, Cruickshank said, and in spring 2008, it had an average GPA of 3.23, the highest of any fraternity that term. During fall 2008, the recruitment class totalled 34, the most it had in a decade, he said.

“I had never been so proud of our chapter as I was during this fall term,” Cruickshank said.

Lee agreed. He said all the members had felt the group was moving in the right direction.

The University found differently. On the most recent Compliance Review for the Greek system, Theta Chi failed the “Good Conduct” requirement, which encompasses alcohol infractions, judicial sanctions and other behavior issues. It met the standards in all other fields, including academic performance.

Early in the term the University found Theta Chi guilty of hazing, said Lee, who was the assistant rush chair.

Duletzke said the incident was not hazing at all and the University’s verdict was incorrect. He gave the following account:

One night, close to Thanksgiving, a group of Theta Chi brothers and pledges got together to play football at about 9 p.m. Some participants were not wearing shirts. Lee attributed this to it being a “shirts and skins” game. Duletzke said Delta Tau Delta, another fraternity, saw the incident and reported it as hazing.

The dealbreaker, Duletzke said, was Theta Chi’s fall retreat to Odell Lake Resort. At the end of the trip, they were charged with $10,000 in damages. The bill included charges such as $700 for dishwashing and $800 in trash disposal, Cruickshank said.

“The thing got out of hand – there was damage,” Duletzke said. “I don’t think there’s a guy in the house that doesn’t regret it or think it was a mistake. It doesn’t represent the values of our house or the U of O.”

The University did not say that either the hazing or the damages, which were paid off by members of Theta Chi, were the impetus for the closure. According to the Greek community memo, “No one instance or set of recent instances triggered this decision.”

The memo also said, “It is in our community’s best interest to focus on the choices of the members of this organization throughout the last decade as opposed to the decisions of the University in response to those choices.”

Duletzke and Cruickshank say they’re focusing on the University’s response anyway. “There was somewhat of an unfair standard set up,” Duletzke said. “We were held under a microscope.”

“The most disappointing aspect of all of this is the inconsistency in the Greek office’s enforcement,” Cruickshank said.

Duletzke and Cruickshank said they felt the Greek Life office and the University administration held the Theta Chi fraternity to a different standard of conduct than other fraternities. Duletzke said other fraternities’ retreats were not investigated the same way theirs was.

Cruickshank agreed. He said, “Amy (Long) even called the resort during our stay, without any permission, to ‘check on us.'”

Duletzke feels that Greek Life doesn’t support houses in a positive way or help them improve. Instead, he said, they look for houses to break the rules and then issue punishment.

In the coming terms, Theta Chi members “plan on continuing our traditions and maintaining our integrity as a chapter,” Cruickshank said.

Meanwhile, Lee and the other Theta Chi men will adapt to living outside of the house. Although living in the house was more expensive, he said he will miss it. “There was never a dull moment in our house. It was worth all the money we paid.”

Student Hospitalized After Possible Frat Hazing Incident
E
Authorities say hazing may have led to hypothermia case; UCSC student still recovering in hospital after beach incident
By J.M. BROWN – Sentinel staff writer
Posted: 12/31/2008 05:18:48 PM PST

A top California State Parks official confirmed Wednesday that authorities are investigating a severe hypothermia case at Bonny Doon Beach as a possible fraternity hazing incident.

Warren Fung, a 20-year-old sophomore at UC Santa Cruz, remains hospitalized at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center-Fremont, but medical officials and relatives have declined to discuss his condition.

Kirk Lingenfelter, a State Parks supervisor overseeing the Santa Cruz County coastline, said Fung has regained consciousness and spoken with family and friends. UCSC police and the District Attorney’s Office are still working with park rangers to determine whether a crime was committed during the Dec. 15 incident.

“I am certainly not going to speculate what charges could be brought to bear,” Lingenfelter said. Under the state’s hazing law, which was revised in 2006, anyone found guilty of causing serious bodily harm can be charged with a felony and serve up to a year in jail or prison if convicted.

Lingenfelter said he did not expect to know what happened to Fung until more students can be interviewed after returning from winter break next week. Investigators also need to take a statement directly from Fung, who was transferred to the hospital after friends took him to a 24-hour medical clinic in Santa Cruz after he became unconscious at the beach.

Lingenfelter said it’s unclear how long Fung, who has been described as slight of build, was in the water or on the
Advertisement
Lifestyle aricles by: ARALifestyle.com
Credit Card Debt Help
Building Strength and Muscle without Illegal Substances
Best Ways to Boost Your Credit Score
ARALifestyle.com
beach, where up to 50 young people had gathered as early as 7 a.m. Investigators are trying to determine if the crowd had gathered the night before and stayed through the morning, which would violate state park rules.

Witnesses told park rangers they were stargazing, but authorities became suspicious that hazing was involved after a birdwatcher standing on a bluff above the beach that morning told UCSC police he saw several things indicating a fraternity event. Lingenfelter said he could not elaborate on the man’s statement because he had not read it.

The birdwatcher gave authorities a brief video clip he took at the beach, which is a mile south of Davenport. But Lingenfelter said the video did not provide any conclusive evidence of a hazing incident.

He said its remains unclear which fraternity, if any, was involved. There are at least 20 fraternity and sororities represented on campus.

UCSC is awaiting the outcome of the State Parks investigation before looking into any potential student involvement in the event, a campus spokesman said.

Isaac Ruelas, the youth minister for Christian Cathedral, an Oakland church connected to the private high school where Fung graduated, said he heard that Fung “was contemplating joining a fraternity and that they invited him out to some kind of hazing” that involved swimming in the ocean.

Ruelas said Fung weighs about 98 pounds and is about 5 feet 4 inches tall. State Parks records indicate the water temperature that morning was about 52 degrees and the air temperature was about 40.

Ruelas described Fung as “very motivated” and a “good kid for the most part.” Fung represents UCSC’s College Ten on the Student Fee Advisory Committee, and a campus official said Fung is well-liked among peers on that panel.

Several of Fung’s friends on the online social network site Facebook are members of the Pi Alpha Phi chapter at UCSC. But the chapter’s president, Ronald Chan, said Fung is not a member and that the group does not permit hazing practices.

“We don’t do any extremes,” Chan said, though he declined to discuss what pledges do to seek membership.

Chan said he was not present at the Dec. 15 beach gathering but was unsure whether other members of his fraternity were. UCSC’s winter break began the day before, so he said he expected many of the members were out of town.

Anyone with information about the case may call State Parks at 429-2850 or UCSC police at 459-2231.

Contact J.M. Brown at 429-2410 or jbrown@santacruzsentinel.com.

KTLA News

January 2, 2009

DAVENPORT — A student from UC Santa Cruz remains hospitalized weeks after he lost consciousness during what police say may have been a fraternity hazing ritual.

Warren Fung, 20, has regained consciousness, but has remained hospitalized since the Dec. 15 incident at Bonny Doon Beach.

It is unclear how long Fung was in the water or on the beach, where about 50 people were gathered as early as 7 a.m. that day, according to Kirk Lingenfelter, State Parks supervisor for the Santa Cruz County coastline.

The Santa Cruz district attorney’s office and park rangers are now investigating whether a crime was committed.

UC Santa Cruz will look into the possible hazing after the State Parks investigation is complete.

USU fraternity, sorority charged with hazing
Alcohol poisoning » 12 students implicated in teen’s death.

By Brian Maffly

The Salt Lake Tribune
Cache County prosecutors on Friday filed felony hazing charges against two Utah State University Greek-letter societies and misdemeanor charges against 12 of their members, including top officers, in connection with the alcohol-poisoning death of an 18-year-old pledge.

In a playful initiation ritual that occurred with past pledges, Michael Starks, a freshman from Salt Lake City, was “captured” by sorority women who painted him and fed him vodka in the company of Sigma Nu fraternity and Chi Omega sorority members, according to charges filed in Logan’s First District Court.

The fun turned deadly for Starks, whom paramedics found unresponsive at the Sigma Nu house at 4 a.m. on Nov. 21. Medical examiners later determined his blood alcohol level reached .373, more than four times the legal limit for driving,

While charging documents indicate Starks was not forced to drink as a prerequisite for joining the fraternity, Utah’s hazing statute allows for conviction even if the victim consented to the abuse, as long he or she is younger than 21. The case highlights the dangers of hard liquor in the hands of an inexperienced drinker, prosecutor Tony Baird said.

“If you beat someone with [a] paddle, make them a slave for a week, that’s hazing. There is no coercion in this case at all,” Baird said. “This is where you have a fraternity that coordinates a capture activity. It’s a have-fun kind of thing. The guys really look forward to it. They want
Advertisement

to be the one chosen.”

Utah’s hazing statute criminalizes behavior that “endangers the mental or physical health or safety of another… for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, holding office in, or as a condition of continued membership in any organization.” Hazing is considered a misdemeanor absent aggravating circumstances and the law specifically references liquor consumption. Although hazing becomes a third-degree felony when it results in serious bodily harm, only the organizations’ USU chapters are targeted for felony prosecution.

The students face a year in jail if convicted, while punishment for the chapters is unclear.

The Starks family was “elated” that prosecutors filed felony charges.

“It reflects the seriousness of the situation,” Starks’ father, George, said Friday. “The fraternity has to be held accountable. It’s a system, a machine that envelopes the kids. Any one of those kids could have said, ‘Wait a minute, this isn’t a good thing.'”

Hijinks gone awry

The week before Starks died, Sigma Nu members selected him and another student, 22-year-old Mackenzie Perry, as their top choices among the 16 young men who pledged last fall. At the time, Starks was staying at the fraternity, although he had a dorm room. At about 10 p.m. on Nov. 20, Sigma Nu member Christopher Ammon brought Starks and Perry to the Chi Omega sorority next door under the pretext of helping move furniture. The women took custody of the young men and sorority sister Whitney Miller, who had a liter bottle of vodka, drove Starks to the Logan home of fraternity brother Grant Barney at 181 W. 200 North.

Miller, who faces the most serious charges, told police fraternity members asked her to run the “capture.”

“The only direction given by the fraternity was ‘to not let Mack [Perry] drink too much’ because he is small in stature,” the charges state. “Otherwise, she was not prohibited to use alcohol in the activity.”

The women asked the pledges to strip to their boxers, then painted the naked men Aggie blue and white. The men were given two bottles, Miller’s liter bottle of vodka and a smaller one, which the women held to the pledges’ mouths because their hands were covered in paint, charges allege.

“Eventually, however, Michael took the taller bottle — the vodka — and began to drink it himself,” charging documents state. Perry told Starks to quit drinking, but he was so drunk he could not follow through, Perry told investigators. No charges were filed in connection with Perry’s hazing because he is of legal drinking age.

After an hour, the other Sigma Nu pledges appeared and “rescued” Perry and Starks from Barney’s house and took them back to Sigma Nu, at 765 N. 800 East. Fraternity members put the two drunk pledges in the shower, then to bed. Starks needed help washing, but he was talking and lucid before falling asleep, the charges say.

At some point that night, member Colton Hansen grew concerned about Starks and called poison control, which advised the fraternity brothers to give Starks water, lay him on his side and monitor him. They followed the instructions and two pledges watched over him. At 3:45 a.m., chapter president Cody Littlewood came into the room and discovered Starks wasn’t breathing. Fraternity brother Kelly McGill started CPR, while Littlewood called 911. Paramedics failed to resuscitate Starks, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police found a fake ID in Starks’ room, indicating his age at over 21. His friends told police that Starks had used it to purchase alcohol in the past and they had seen him drunk the weekend before his death. Starks family members, however, say Michael, the youngest in a close-knit Catholic family of six children, had no prior history of heavy drinking.

Participating in this fraternity initiation rite was required for the Chi Omega sorority pledges, according to Starks’ older brother George Jr., whose family was briefed by prosecutors on Wednesday. “One of the girls was uncomfortable with what was going on and left, and another one was pressured to stay,” George Starks Jr. claimed Friday.

USU officials have already suspended the Sigma Nu and Chi Omega chapters as campus organizations, and the chapters’ national offices have likewise suspended them, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Both organizations publicly maintain zero-tolerance toward hazing and alcohol abuse, and Sigma Nu has co-sponsored research into the cultural phenomenon of hazing and ways to eliminate it. The 250-chapter fraternity was founded in 1868 at Virginia Military Institute in opposition to the physical harassment that young officers endured at the hands of their older colleagues, according to Sigma Nu Executive Director Brad Beacham. Contacted late Friday, both he and Chi Omega’s national executive director Anne Emmerth reserved comment on the Starks case until they read the charges.

“We certainly respect law enforcement’s choice to pursue the criminal charges they feel are warranted and appropriate,” Beacham said. “We will take into account any and all new information as it becomes available.”

University officials were not available for comment Friday.

bmaffly@sltrib.com