After a fraternity pledge at Chico State University suffered an alcohol overdose on Nov. 4, the university suspended all upcoming fraternity and sorority activities.

The student, Mason Sumnicht, was out celebrating his 21st birthday with members of Sigma Pi that night and took 21 shots. The excessive drinking led to an alcohol overdose and, after 11 days on life support, Sumnicht died on Thursday, Nov. 15, according to a Wildcat Illustrated article.

Paul Zingg, the president of CSU, met with fraternity and sorority representatives the day after to suspend upcoming events and activities, according to the article.

Zingg said in the meeting that no one gets off easy when they “stand by idly and watch a brother gulp down 21 shots for his 21st birthday and then let him pass out in his own vomit,” according to the article.

The suspension of all greek activities seemed harsh to some, like Courtney Wessel, a Sigma Omega Phi member at CSU who was at the meeting. Wessel said in the article she felt Zingg was vilifying greek life as a whole.

“I don’t think it’s fair to generalize us all into the negative group,” Wessel said in the article.

In the meeting, the president brought up a similar incident that occurred seven years ago when Matthew Carrington, also a 21-year-old pledge, died in a fraternity hazing incident, according to the article. After Carrington died, Zingg met with the fraternities and sororities to make changes.

Improvements were made shortly after, but recently there has been “slippage,” Zingg said in the article.

Drew Calandrella, CSU vice president for student affairs, said at the meeting that there have been incidents of sexual assault, drinking with potential members and “three hazing incidents within the last 30 days.”

Calandrella said in the article he knew this was not indicative of how every greek house runs, but nonetheless fraternities and sororities could not recruit until the spring.

In general, Zingg said it was important for greeks to set the example on campus because they are perceived as leaders. He asked the students to take the rest of the semester to ask themselves and each other how they could improve and prevent events like this from occurring again.

“Examine your own moral compass. Are you the one able to say, ‘This is not the way to go?’” Zingg asked in the article. “This is about change of an organization, yourselves and the Greek system.”

Calandrella agreed most greek organizations could be positive forces on campus and are socially active.

“Overwhelmingly, most are committed to that (community service) — but not all,” he said in the article.

Calandrella said in the article that even with all the good that greeks do at CSU, it is important for students to reflect on each house’s original charters and focus on core principles, like brotherhood and responsibility. He said Sumnicht’s death shows how current party behaviors have given greek life a bad name and overshadowed their good deeds.

Said Caladrella in the article: “I also know that these kinds of behaviors in one fell swoop can wipe out all the positive side of the ledger.”

 

Published on November 29, 2012 at 12:02 am

Contact Andrew: asmuckel@syr.edu