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BU suspends fraternity for throwing party at which freshman died
By adamg on Mon, 03/04/2013 - 9:53pm
BU Today reports on the suspension of Sigma Alpha Mu, which hosted a party on Saturday on Wadsworth Street at which a freshman engineering student died. BU noted "reports of underage drinking and severe intoxication" at the bash.
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Comments
Binge drinking aka alcohol abuse
assuming that the deceased young man drank an excessive amount of alcohol why isn't the public expressing concern about the probable binge drinking that occurred? When the public complains about the "happy hour" limitations or that you need to be 21 to drink "legally" you will find plenty of people weighing in to lament the MGL's pertaining to alcohol.
Just a few day ago a drunk adult hit two kids. This was not his first offense. Yet he was released. The so called Social Host Law that pertains when someone furnishes alcohol that leads to harm is rarely applied.
We should be vigilant in applying the existing laws regarding alcohol as it is a drug that contributes to deaths, traumas and addiction.
The curious thing
I cannot find any indication that alcohol or drugs was the cause of death in the published statements.
I assume they're still working on the investigation. I have trouble believing that they would hide the fact that alcohol poisoning was to blame, if that were true.
Question
When did the concept,legal or otherwise, come about that schools and fraternities can get away with operating outside the law and handle 'scandals'? For example, like students being sexually assaulted, abused [i.e. Penn State and too many other examples to list here], and fraternities claiming lethal assaults and abuse were 'consensual' ? 'Hazing' outside of fraternities and other institutions at least where someone is seriously hurt or killed, is assault, murder, manslaughter, etc., for everybody else.
Someone dies or is seriously hurt during a frat initiation/hazing or other similar situation, and the suits at national HQ simply attempt to deflect and avoid liability criminal and civil by shutting the local chapter down [at least until it blows over *wink*]. Fraternities [for example] are generally set up to be a non-profit, which affords a lot of opportunity for 'create accounting', tax avoidance and fraud. Many are in general IMO little more than quasi-legal criminal enterprises.