The young man’s death was a real tragedy, especially coming as it did right before parents’ weekend. I feel very badly for his parents. And I have every confidence in President Thrasher’s handling of the situation.
It should be a cautionary tale, though, for parents of college students everywhere. This isn’t just an FSU problem, or a Penn State problem. Yale, Miami, Ohio State, UFlorida…it could occur at any of them. Let’s hope it won’t.
And it’s not just a fraternity problem. Wasn’t there a story not too long ago about a UF student (maybe another college) that died falling from a balcony at an off-campus apartment?
The part that’s a fraternity problem is when the alcohol poisoning is a direct result of a pledge ritual. Not to mention the part where several of the student’s friends/brothers are present, but let him lay there unattended until morning, by which time he’s either aspirated on his own vomit (like at LSU, and reportedly at FSU) or, in the case at Penn State, bled out.
Yeah, college kids are frequently stupid about drinking. That’s all the more reason organizations shoulodn’t be allowed to ritualize it and insist people take part.