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The*Empress

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A Frat House Death In Chico (http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12225605p-13089563c.html)

Student drank a lot of water in hazing ritual, police say.
By M.S. Enkoji - Bee Staff Writer, and Christine Vovakes - Bee correspondent
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, February 3, 2005

CHICO - A 21-year-old California State University, Chico, student, died early Wednesday in the basement of an unauthorized fraternity house after drinking a large amount of water - part of what police are calling a hazing ritual.
Matthew William Carrington was apparently pledging Chi Tau, a local fraternity that lost a national affiliation and its school affiliation in 2002 because of alcohol violations, according to the school's adviser to fraternities and sororities.

"Excessive water consumption had something to do with the pledge activities," said Chico Police Sgt. Dave Barrow.

Alcohol doesn't appear to be involved, he said. But he declined to give other details concerning Carrington's death.

An autopsy that could be done today will determine what killed Carrington, of Pleasant Hill, or whether investigators will recommend filing criminal charges.

A campus spokesman said relatives of Carrington, a second-semester business student who transferred from Diablo Valley College, arrived at the campus early Wednesday afternoon. They could not be reached for comment.

Carrington's death is apparently the second hazing death connected to the school since 2000, when 18-year-old Adrian Heideman died from alcohol poisoning while pledging Pi Kappa Phi. Fraternities at Chico State gathered at the end of last year to talk about the dangers of hazing.

About 5 a.m. Wednesday, a Chi Tau member called police to the off-campus fraternity house after Carrington stopped breathing, according to Barrow.

"Looks like only two pledges were down in the basement. That's where the pledge activities were taking place," Barrow said. Other fraternity members were upstairs in the house.

There is no indication yet that Carrington was force-fed water, as was done to a New York college student who died after water was funneled into him in 2003.

The two-story house in the frat-row neighborhood about two blocks southeast of the campus was the center of attention Wednesday, but others living on the row said they were instructed not to talk about the death.

Mourners placed yellow roses and a pair of votive candles at the front of the house - near a blue door emblazoned with the Greek letters X and T.

SBC telephone company employees taking a break outside an SBC building across the street had seen police investigators work through the morning.

One of the employees, Michael Peterson, said the street is thick with parties from Thursday through Saturday.

A sophomore walking through the neighborhood Wednesday said the fraternity's party reputation was not unusual. "They have parties, but no more than anyone else," said Hailey Gates.

Connie Huyck, campus adviser to fraternities and sororities, said the school could discipline any students involved in the hazing, even though the fraternity was expelled from the university's fraternity council.

Chi Tau, which has about 25 members, has tried unsuccessfully to get reinstated since it was expelled in 2002.

Because fraternity and sorority houses are off-campus at Chico, the school cannot control underground clubs, Huyck said.

Joe Wills, a spokesman for the school, said: "You can expel a fraternity, but it's very difficult to control a group of people who choose to live together and recruit other students."

As hazing deaths from drinking alcohol draw national attention, a new pledge ritual of forcing intake of abnormal amounts of liquid seems to be proving equally deadly.

On a Web site maintained by Hank Nuwer, an Indiana college professor and author of the book, "Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing," there is an account of an Arizona State University fraternity member who was found vomiting into a trash can full of milk jugs last year.

Other published reports detail the death of an 18-year-old student who died drinking pitchers of water funneled into him during a hazing at State University College in Plattsburgh, N.Y., in 2003. At Southern Methodist University in Dallas, a student suffered a seizure after he chugged water from a gallon jug - also part of a hazing ritual.

The body can become intoxicated from too much water, according to medical experts. Too much water dilutes sodium in the body, which is vital for organ function.

As word about the hazing death circulated Wednesday on campus, some students called for more scrutiny of Greek organizations.

"Fraternities seem to have a dangerous streak, and they seem to have too many deaths," said Andy Mignano, 23, a senior from Sacramento who was crossing the campus with friends. "Fraternities do some community services, but they seem to be a negative force in Chico. They're secret societies, like Skull and Bones, dude."

Awareness about hazing hazards seemed to sink in after Heideman's death, Huyck said.

"I think the students really learned a lot, but not enough," she said.

Heideman was an 18-year-old freshman from Palo Alto, who was not a drinker, according to his parents. But to pledge Pi Kappa Phi, he was told to drink a bottle of brandy at a party. He vomited and choked to death. His blood-alcohol level was 0.37, more than four times the legal driving limit.

Pi Kappa Phi's national organization cut ties to the Chico chapter, and the school expelled the group.

The expelled chapter re-formed as Sigma Pi and is now recognized by the school's Greek council, according to the chief executive officer for Pi Kappa Phi's national organization based in Charlotte, N.C.

Huyck on Wednesday recalled a meeting of fraternity members in 2004, where the "water torture" deaths came up in discussions.

"I brought it up to alert them that hazing is hazing, no matter whether alcohol is involved or not," she said.

Because Chi Tau is not an official fraternity, their members weren't required to attend.

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I never knew you could ever drink too much water, I thought it was the one foolproof substance to ingest. I mean, on occasions that I've drank LOTS of water (a few litres in a few minutes), some of it would literally squeeze up like i'm vomiting it ('cept its really dilute vomit, basically just slightly acidic water). I'd figure the guy should either have vomited it up, or it shoulda squeezed out his ass or something....

And what makes someone so desperate as to put themselves through all this? Damn...

Why not ban Fraternity, college life would be so much better off without that.
 
Ban Fraternity? its like banning sorority (sp), sisterhood, brotherhood etc

I just think they should be more stricter and make a policy where there's no more hazing, (of course, it would be hard to ignore that) If they got caught hazing they should be expelled from college. but they have every right to have a good time and party.

on the other hand, there are high schools doing the hazing and how can you change that? what's next, middle schools?
 
I think they died from bursting stomach, and that's one sick thing they're doing in college. That should be banned.....I read somewhere that your average stomach can hold up to 4000cc (4 liter or a little over a gallon) before bursting. Sorry, had to say something....hope I don't make AD'ers sick and lost appetite today. :P
 
sequoias said:
I think they died from bursting stomach, and that's one sick thing they're doing in college. That should be banned.....I read somewhere that your average stomach can hold up to 4000cc (4 liter or a little over a gallon) before bursting. Sorry, had to say something....hope I don't make AD'ers sick and lost appetite today. :P

That's possible, but there is actually something called water intoxication that people can die of. Here's a link:

http://www.alpharubicon.com/med/watertox.html
 
^^interesting link....I guess we have found our own weakness, even water seems tasteless, odorless (if clean)...can be deadly if you drink too much, weird.
 
At most colleges and universities, Greeks make up for almost 1/5 of all organizations. Yet, Greeks usually manage to earn more community service hours than non-greeks combined. I think it's good to keep fraternities and sororities. They're a learning experience. They just need to have stricter rules.
 
VamPyroX said:
At most colleges and universities, Greeks make up for almost 1/5 of all organizations. Yet, Greeks usually manage to earn more community service hours than non-greeks combined. I think it's good to keep fraternities and sororities. They're a learning experience. They just need to have stricter rules.

That is why I wanted to join the sorority at CSUN, to do some
community service hours...
such as pick up trash, Aids walk, and other fundraising volunteering...
I wanted to do something like that...
but deaf girls at CSUN won't let me be a member.

I guess because of their high stuckup ego, or bias toward me, or misunderstanding. I don't need them anyway....
I'll join Easter Seal walk and other community service on my own someday....
by signing up.... at least it will look good on my resume...

And the aggressive men who come up to me, were fratnerity, they were
planning to use me up and then dumped me and get their fratnerity brothers to make sure I don't go around them again.
That is why I refuse to talk to the guy at CSUN who was in fratnerity,
I don't ever ever ever want to get involved with a fratnerity guy,
cause it really hurts me when they dump me like that....
that really changed the way I am.

That is why I wanted to join the sorority to get some type of protection
from those girls who are more knowledgable about guys,
they can say, "oh don't date him, he's scum."

But anyway, all I wanted was a college education... I don't appreciate
fratnerity members to mess up my experience in college....

Everytime I see a Fratnerity or a Sorority person, I see them as evil.
 
Gallaudet's Kappa Gamma fraternity has to go. Intimidation of certain deaf or hard of hearing individuals who have been percieved as threats to deaf culture seem to be one of their 'hazing' options. This fraternity is one of the most childish groups I've ever encountered. A few years ago they also prevented another "Fred Schreiber" like candidate from Florida from being elected as the National Association of the Deaf president instead they got a woman beater from Texas elected who then resigned shortly afterwards.

Richard Roehm
 
Nesmuth said:
Gallaudet's Kappa Gamma fraternity has to go. Intimidation of certain deaf or hard of hearing individuals who have been percieved as threats to deaf culture seem to be one of their 'hazing' options. This fraternity is one of the most childish groups I've ever encountered. A few years ago they also prevented another "Fred Schreiber" like candidate from Florida from being elected as the National Association of the Deaf president instead they got a woman beater from Texas elected who then resigned shortly afterwards.

Richard Roehm

Is that the fraternity that got its charter suspended years ago for spanking so hard?
 
I don't think all fraternity/sorority should be banned. They just need to change their view on hazing and realize that the hazing can have its psychological effects on person's one being.

I am a member of a fraternity from RIT and this greek organization has been founded in 1860s to implement the use of anti-hazing concepts as they were viewed as child play. That has been an ideal for this fraternity for years that if they hear one chapter do a hazing, the headquarters would warn them and if continue, close the chapter down and revoke the charter.
 
I have seen fraternity/sorority at RIT myself and I would want to get into it. It too much for me and too much party all the times. How can you find time to studies your education. HUH!!!! I rather be studies then to party. It was crazy when I was there.
 
deaf24fan said:
Is that the fraternity that got its charter suspended years ago for spanking so hard?

Spanking? Maybe that's why they had that 'disclaimer' on their front website years ago. If they got suspended, they probably got that for being a sophomoric example of an university fraternity.

Richard
 
I also thought banning sororities and fraternities was the answer to hazing, but as it's already been pointed out, you really can't ban them. I also don't think you have to in order to stop the behaviors we all too often see. Why not just ban hazing? Maybe this is me, but I just don't see why it's necessary to have such brutal intiatiations. I realize this is touching on another subject talked about in another thread, but hazing, to me, is just an extreme form of bullying and should NOT be tolerated!

Any thoughts on this last point, anyone?
 
Pomeranian said:
I have seen fraternity/sorority at RIT myself and I would want to get into it. It too much for me and too much party all the times. How can you find time to studies your education. HUH!!!! I rather be studies then to party. It was crazy when I was there.


OOPS!!! I made a boo boo here. I was saying I wouldnt want to get into it. :Oops:
 
yeah why have to do hazing or fit in to join in sorority or fraternity?

why can't they charge a person $25 dollars and sign up application to join in,
and be fair to everyone?
 
Pomeranian said:
I have seen fraternity/sorority at RIT myself and I would want to get into it. It too much for me and too much party all the times. How can you find time to studies your education. HUH!!!! I rather be studies then to party. It was crazy when I was there.

Actually the key to successfully enjoying full extent of college life and greek is time management as I have learned very well. :)
For instance, you have class from 8am to 10am and then next class is at 2pm to 4pm on Monday. You have time between 10am to 2pm to do some studies, lab works, etc and a meal throw in (lunch). You can try to get work as much as possible done during the day. Some evenings if possible.
My fraternity encourage school and good grades in order to keep an elected or appointed position and/or maintain an active member. If I went under 2.00, they will put me in study hall to encourage me to improve my grade and continue being involved. While I'm in study hall, I'm limited to fraternity activities and if I want to get back with the activities, I'd improve my grades. If I want to keep my position, I'd do damn well to keep my grades up.
 
Miss*Pinocchio said:
yeah why have to do hazing or fit in to join in sorority or fraternity?

why can't they charge a person $25 dollars and sign up application to join in,
and be fair to everyone?
Being in a fraternity/sorority is a life-time commitment and has to be earned, not bought. The fees that are required to pay usually covers insurance and other important stuff. The rest is usually figured out by the chapter to cover various things such as events and gatherings.

You have to prove yourself worthy of joining a fraternity/sorority. That's the point of the new member program.
 
VamPyroX said:
Being in a fraternity/sorority is a life-time commitment and has to be earned, not bought. The fees that are required to pay usually covers insurance and other important stuff. The rest is usually figured out by the chapter to cover various things such as events and gatherings.

You have to prove yourself worthy of joining a fraternity/sorority. That's the point of the new member program.

I just think that is prejudice....
I just think they don't want me in sorority because of
my face appearance... that is all.

That is why I won't talk to people at CSUN or anybody....
cause they all two faced....
That is why I gave people hard time who want to be my friends,
and I was like, "yeah right, go away."
 
I rather BAN liberals than fraternity. So why not just let the college kids act like assholes?
 
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