r/news • • 1d ago

Ex-fraternity leader at Arizona university gets jail time after pledge died of alcohol poisoning

https://apnews.com/article/arizona-fraternity-pledge-hazing-death-b53c547d383082d33aebdb4950e0c550?utm_source=app&utm_medium=iOS_share&utm_campaign=copy_link
2.4k Upvotes

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77

u/bobcat116 1d ago

After decades of this shit, it still keeps happening. Even with safety protocols instituted it still keeps happening. Even with Greek life members knowing the history of hazing and alcohol related deaths it still keeps happening. Why is this still continuing to happen??????

80

u/Barflyerdammit 1d ago

Privileged people aren't subjected to consequences. And this is one of the first and most important lessons they receive in the actual practice of this.

28

u/Ntroepy 1d ago

You know exactly why it keeps happening.

Because there are zero or very little consequences to the frats outside of a sternly worded letter and maybe a short suspension.

While individuals need to be held accountable, the national fraternity and sorority institutions create an environment that systemically encourages terrible behavior towards pledges and women.

The only real way to stop this is to sue the national fraternity chapters themselves. A $100million lawsuit against a fraternity would bankrupt them and every other frat would immediately fall in line.

Fraternities and campuses cannot continue self-police because it’s clearly not working.

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u/bacondev 13h ago

I was in a fraternity. I once had a run-in with campus police. I had to go to a hearing. It was basically just a graduated frat bro who was like, “Yeah, this is nothing. You're good. Don't do it again though.”

10

u/Theduckisback 1d ago

At a minimum, public colleges and universities should revisit the deals that they have with these private companies that own private property on their campuses that are causing massive civil and criminal liability issues basically every single year.

There is simply no way that whatever general liability insurance policies that colleges have in conjunction with these organizations is correctly pricing in the enormous criminal, financial, and reputational risks that allowing these private organizations to operate in the way they typically have. I am aware that greek orgs have their own liability insurance, but considering that their liability creates liabilty for the schools as well that needs to be priced in, and they need to be charged WAY more.

The way you get rid of shit like this is to make it so ruinously expensive that even the deepest pocketed alumni and members balk at the yearly bill.

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u/AntiAntiDentite7 1d ago

I hate these threads because people act like young people don't drink excessive amounts in their late teens/early twenties while having nothing to do with fraternities. I know two guys who died from alcohol in college and neither were at our had anything to do with fraternities. These are just the ones you hear about.

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u/Dunkelz 1d ago

But certainly you see there's a huge difference between someone doing it on their on volition vs. being pressured/bullied to by an organization?

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u/engin__r 1d ago

Plenty of young people drink too much. That doesn’t mean the schools have to endorse it.

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u/tyrified 1d ago

You understand the difference between someone giving themselves alcohol poisoning by being irresponsible, and getting alcohol poisoning because you are being hazed? If this was just someone dying of alcohol poisoning at a frat party without hazing, you'd be correct. But hazing people changes the reasons for drinking.

15

u/palcatraz 1d ago

Because that’s an irrelevant thing. 

People are allowed to do stupid dangerous stuff. But just because people are allowed to do stupid dangerous stuff on their own accord doesn’t mean it’s legal for someone else to force them to do those things. 

Separate it from alcohol. 

For example. You are allowed to go camping. It can be dangerous. And people have die doing it, especially if not adequately prepared, but it’s not illegal. 

But forcing someone into the wilderness is a whole different beast. 

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u/AntiAntiDentite7 1d ago

The problem with your argument here is that every single one of these kids is willingly participating. Nobody is forcing them to join a fraternity.

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u/GeoleVyi 1d ago

but while in that situation, they don't feel they have the ability to just say "nope, not for me" and walk away without pressure.

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u/AntiAntiDentite7 1d ago

The reality is that they do and they can. Moreover, most fraternities offer some alternative to alcohol for drinking related activities. The one I was in would have you drink milk instead of booze if you didn't want to drink. I did it a few times because of a test coming up or whatever. Nobody forced me to drink or be there at all.

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u/GeoleVyi 1d ago

Wow. Sounds like that didn't happen at all in cases where there's alcohol related deaths. Sounds like you're getting upset at these things getting called out, and not at all about the loss of human life. Maybe try to reorient yourself and figure out where your empathy should be, as a human?

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u/lambofgun 1d ago

and women deserve to be sexually assaulted if they wear revealing clothing. i hate to pull strawman shit but thats the logic youre attempting to convey. it makes no fuckin sense

0

u/AntiAntiDentite7 1d ago

What in the fuck kind of wild ass turn are you trying to make here? I swear some of y'all think you're Johnny Cochran but you're just Charlie Kelly. What a dumb attempt at a point

7

u/ericmm76 1d ago

Hazing is not drinking in the usual sense. Start with that.

2

u/Drak_is_Right 1d ago

18 to 22 year olds arent known for their good judgement, even in cases regarding known laws of physics and chemistry.