this isn’t the Penn State death or the LSU death or the Florida State University death…those are the most recent ones but this death just happened over the weekend at Texas State University and it’ll break your heart to see the photo of this kid https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/14/us/texas-state-greek-life.html
They all break my heart. 
My eldest attends here and is not part of greek life. He knows a few guys though classes and projects but will not every go to a fraternity gig. He said once was enough. It is really sad. My heart breaks for his parents.
I told my boys, " No fraternities. " I’m fine with sororities for girls.
These young men are 18 so parents cannot forbid them to pledge but they can refuse to finance it.
@TomSrOfBoston My boys wouldn’t dare. I don’t set a lot of limits but that is one.
Local source (student newspaper) and administration statement:
http://star.txstate.edu/2017/11/14/student-death-under-investigation/
http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2017/November-2017/Greeks111417.html
Another local source, also includes a statement from ΦΚΨ national that the Texas State chapter had been suspended earlier that week for unrelated reasons:
http://www.kvue.com/news/local/police-investigating-after-texas-state-student-dies/491738667
Heartbreaking. I will be showing this to my college-bound sons. Prayers for the family.
@gearmom curious as to why you’re fine with sororities? They also force drinking. Back in my day, when my own sorority didn’t haze, there were stories about female pledges stripped to their underwear so all their fat could be circled with black sharpie. My son goes to my alma mater now, and from what I hear my sorority is now one of the worst hazers on campus.
@NJWrestlingmom Never heard of sororities hazing like the boys. I had a great experience. But most importantly, I’m not seeing stories of dead sorority sisters like these beautiful boys. The fraternities go far past the line. RIP Matthew Ellis.
Agree with @gearmom – some level of hazing may also be present in some sororities and obviously there is underage drinking going on as well. But we aren’t consistently reading about dead sorority sisters during the pledge period. There is an alarming frequency lately with these fraternity deaths and it seems to be increasing.
My D’s experience with a sorority has been overwhelmingly positive from both a social and professional perspective. While it is one sorority at one school, there was no hazing whatsoever when she pledged. I believe the frats at some schools are totally out of control and need to be reigned in aggressively. Our sons deserve better than this and I honestly do not understand why it is tolerated. I agree with the OP, I look at the picture of that boy and my heart breaks. Cannot imagine what his family is going through right now.
Heartbreaking.
Our searches for colleges includes going to Niche and seeing how much Greek life there is at a school. And to see if the words “work hard play hard” are part of the review.
If they are, they are off of our list.
It seems that while there’s “partying” at all schools, to some degree or another, the frat scene seems to amplify the dangers. Maybe it’s the intense peer pressure. Hard to say and I’m certainly no expert.
No schools with Greek life or “work hard play hard” for this family.
Greek life in the aspect “MOST” think of it should be banned. There is no reason for it in today’s college life.
There can be “good” experiences, but the stereotypical common behavior should be banned.
Yes, it would take time to implement.
I believe sororities are dry these days (no alcohol allowed in the house). Somebody can correct me if I’m wrong.
Didn’t the Penn State one happen in a “dry” fraternity?
@anomander Our sorority was dry back then. One of the largest national sororities. No drinking in the house. No forced drinking. No hazing. No coed parties in the house. We went out for parties.
“Didn’t the Penn State one happen in a “dry” fraternity?”
Yes, plus there were young women there from a quasi-sorority (underground as they had been kicked out already) and they obviously didn’t step in out of concern either.
Although we may not hear of deaths of young college women to the same extent, there is plenty of reports of other unsettling things happening to young women.
Thanks doschicos. I thought I had that right but couldn’t find it again.
I would not say all sorority girls are safe. My son attends Texas State and a class with the kid that was killed. Just last year a sorority girl was ran over by a bus at a off campus party and her body was not found until the next day underneath the bus. The President at Texas State has suspended all frats and sororities until they they complete a investigation. It just breaks my heart that the parents will not have their son home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The 26 sororities that belong to National PanHellenic do not allow alcohol in their houses (or other space dedicated to the sorority like a dorm floor) or at their events unless they are at a public place like a hotel and the liquor is sold by the owner to those over 21. Do members go and drink at other campus parties? Sure, as do the girls who live in the dorms, off campus, at home, etc. College kids drink. But they don’t drink in sorority houses. My alum group is having an event at the chapter house on campus. We cannot have any alcohol, so no sipping wine while we shop at the event even though we are all well over 21.
What the other sororities (such as the cultural sororities or the traditionally black sororities) allow in their houses I don’t know. They may allow alcohol but I doubt it.
No hazing is allowed at all. We used to go wake up the pledges from their dorm rooms or homes at 3 am and take them out to breakfast or ice cream. No longer allowed as that was considered hazing.
Neither of my kids is allowed to post any pictures on social media of them partying, with or without their sorority sisters. They are extremely strict about this. My daughter had a picture of her drinking out of coconut shell in St. Maartin’s. She was 15 and was with friends on vacation, and it wasn’t alcohol. It had been on her FB page for 3 years. Nope, had to come down. She posted a picture of a team dinner she was at with her coaches and the rest of the team. Not drinking but there was a beer sign in the background (it’s an Irish restaurant/bar). Nope, had to take it down.
My father is with his fraternity brothers this week. They have been his best friends for 65 years.