Pledge of Chico local dies after 'water hazing'
 

Chi Tau pledge dies
Becky Regan
News Editor
February 02, 2005


A Chi Tau pledge died about 5 a.m. today after he collapsed during a pledge event, Chico police said.

"It doesn't appear that alcohol played any part in his death," Sgt. Dave Barrow said.

Barrow said 21-year-old Matthew William Carrington was participating in a pledge event that involved physical activity and drinking large quantities of water.

Carrington's cause of death has not been identified, and his medical history is unknown. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

Some cases of water intoxication can cause brain tissues to swell, which may lead to a seizure, coma or death, according to About.com.

Chi Tau member Corey Williams said Carrington's pledge brother woke up everyone in the house when he discovered Carrington was not breathing.

"I woke up to his pledge brother banging on the door saying 'he's not breathing'," Williams said.

Williams was not in the basement when Carrington died, but he said paramedics told him Carrington had a seizure and choked on his tongue. Blood was coming out of Carrington’s ears.

Williams said the pledges had been cleaning the house and participating in fraternity events on Tuesday, but no alcohol was involved. The pledges were sleeping in the basement.

Williams said Carrington's pledge brother told him that he awoke when he heard Carrington making unusual snoring sounds. When the pledge brother realized something wasn’t right, he started to perform CPR on Carrington.

"His pledge brother actually had him in his arms when he stopped breathing," Williams said.

Chi Tau president Ken Dandy said the fraternity has not been able to contact Carrington’s pledge brother since this morning.

Dandy also said no fraternity members know if Carrington has any medical condition that might have caused a seizure.

"We have no idea what the cause of death might be," Dandy said. "Matt was one of the coolest people I’ve met in Chico."

(Doug Case was first with this story)

how sad....
all involved in my thoughts and prayers.

Yep, was on Local TV News in KC this morning, and I am laying in Bed with GLOs running through my Head!:(

What GLO are they affiliated with? Anyone know?

Never Heard of them?

from the San Francisco Chronicle

Pledge dies in hazing at Chico fraternity

http://sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/02...carrington.jpg
A 21-year-old pledge rushing a fraternity in Chico is dead after drinking several gallons of water in a bizarre hazing ritual, his family said.

Chico police detectives have taped off the basement of Chi Tau fraternity where they say the incident occurred, and they are interviewing 14 house members to find out how Matthew Carrington of Pleasant Hill died Wednesday morning. Carrington's friend Mike Quintana, who was the only other pledge present during the night of hazing, told police and Carrington's parents that he and Carrington had been forced to drink about five gallons of water each, had ice water thrown on them and air-conditioning fans turned their way during an all-nighter in the fraternity's basement.

The young men were forced to do push-ups and stand on a bench for hours while answering trivia questions about the house brothers, said Chico police Sgt. Robert Merrifield, who is investigating the case.

"At 5 a.m. this morning (Wednesday) my son was forced to do more push-ups and had a seizure," Debbie Smith said. "They thought he was fine because he was snoring, and they didn't want to get in trouble so they didn't call an ambulance until about an hour later when he wasn't breathing."

Medics kept Carrington alive with CPR, but he was pronounced dead after 6 a.m., shortly after arriving at a local hospital, Merrifield said.

An autopsy will be conducted today. There is no indication alcohol or drugs were involved, authorities said.

Detectives are looking into the allegation that fraternity brothers procrastinated for an hour before calling 911 because they were worried they could get in trouble, Merrifield said.

Carrington moved to Chico in August and was eager to make new friends, his mother said. After graduating in 2001 from Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, Carrington worked at Office Depot and Kinko's to earn tuition for Chico. Once in college, he decided to rush Chi Tau, which had a troubled past.

"This fraternity has been dealt with in the past and has no standing with the university," said university spokesman Joe Willis. "They aren't part of the fraternity council, but that raises another problem that they don't have to abide by our guidelines on behavior."

Smith didn't know that Chi Tau used to be called Delta Sigma Phi until 2002, when the house was expelled from Chico State and the Interfraternity Council for serving alcohol to minors.

"They were cut off from the university after a span of about seven years of trouble," said Rick Rees, student activities associate director for Cal State Chico.

In 1995, Rees began getting calls from students that fraternity members were starting unprovoked fistfights on the sidewalks outside the house. Police complained it took five squad cars to break up their parties. A woman filed a sexual assault report. The final straw was the underage drinking, Rees said.

"When a fraternity is kicked out, they leave," Rees said. "What's unusual here is this fraternity is still hanging on under the name it had in 1939, Chi Tau."

Carrington's hazing began in October, his mother said, with more innocuous stunts like sending pledges to the beach to trade their shirts with homeless people. Fraternity brothers videotaped pledges dressed up like prostitutes walking down the street in Southern California, she said.

"But recently I could tell something changed, and he didn't want to talk to me about the rush activities anymore," she said.

Then on her way to work Wednesday morning, she got the phone call no mother wants to get.

"This is ripping my heart out," she said, adding that she was worried about the tragedy's effect on Carrington's younger brother, Travis. "He loves his older brother so much."

Travis Smith, 14, said he was still in denial. He couldn't believe the brother who took him camping in Yosemite, taught him to throw a football and shared his Eminem CDs was gone.

Carrington's aunt, Angie Birdwell, called Cal State Chico officials Wednesday to demand the students involved in the hazing be expelled.

Willis said Carrington's death was a horrible shock. The campus is waiting to see the outcome of the police investigation before it launches its own review to determine possible disciplinary action against the students.

A note is going out today to inform students of the tragedy, and the campus flag will be lowered. Counselors will be ready for grieving students and the campus will help with memorials if the family wishes.

While universities nationwide are grappling with fraternity tragedies, Chico has had its share of bad news.

In October 2002, freshman pledge Adrian Heideman of Palo Alto was found dead in the basement of Chico's Pi Kappa Phi fraternity with a blood alcohol level three times above the legal driving limit. Three house members pleaded no contest to criminal charges related to the forced alcohol binge.

Chico student Quintana, who went through the Chi Tau water ritual with his friend Carrington, was in despair Wednesday.

"Just tell people how great Matt was, how wonderful and beautiful a boy he was," Quintana said.

E-mail Meredith May at mmay@sfchronicle.com.

This is very sad

Any from Chico out there know if it is the old Delta Sig house?

According to the article, it was.

Apparently, the university has has issues with this chapter. This is from the Social Fraternities page of the Chico State website.

Chi Tau upsets frats
 

This was written back in November of 2003.

Oops Can I tell I didn't read the entire article. Thanks!!!!

They talked about this case on NBC's Nightly News earlier this evening.

Along with several other incidents including two of the deaths here in Colorado, and CU's plan for deferred Rush, etc.

Its not just that one fraternity that has issues.

That entire greek system has issues. I'm not saying that every single chapter in that greek system is a risk management nightmare. There are, however, a disproportional number of major risk management issues that have come from Chico over the years, arguably more than any other greek system in the nation.

It mentioned that it was the old fraternity but didn't mention if it was the same house. Could be two different things.

mom was on the today show saturday along with a university spokesman, who seemed a bit pompous.

The Delta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi at CSU Chico had it's charter revoked the week before I became an initiated in Spring 02. They came down to our house, and said they had reverted back to their local, Chi Tau. Their chapter alumni had not supported the move, so it was done without their permission. I don't know why people have to wait until it's too late to see how stupid some of this crap is....

Actually that is true. Off the top of my head, another fraternity pledge died in 2002 or 2001, and that whole incident with the pregnant sorority woman etc.
However I don't believe it is completely the fault of the greek system. Honestly Chico is known as probably one of the biggest party schools in California, and for good reason. It's a college town in the middle of NOWHERE, there's nothing to do there but party. If you have a whole campus that is known to have party all the time, some of those partiers are going to be greek, some of those greek partiers are not going to be doing so safely. Only if the university and the GLOs work together is the atmosphere in Chico going to get better.

I can't get this out of my head....
 

So, I just read an article on another thread about the mother of this poor student suggesting to stop (fraternity) recruitment because it was degrading to men.

I saw this woman on the Today Show (2/5/05, I think) and she is obviously upset, rightfully so, because it was horrible and unacceptable what happened to her son...BUT...she said on national TV that her son told her about the hazing he was going through for this local org and she said he thought it was fun!

So, we can blame the chapter...yes,
we can blame the individual students.....yes,
we can blame the university, but.....

HELLO!!! Mom KNEW her son was being hazed!!! She also admitted that he stopped talking about the hazing as he got farther in his new member period. Wouldn't that throw up a red flag to a parent to talk to their kid about telling these people that the org isn't worth it?? Calling school administrators???

Just a thought...though unpopular as it may be...shouldn't she as well as the student hazed...hold some responsibility for this tragedy? When I talk to PNM's and hazing comes up, I always tell them to tell hazer to go to hell and leave. In this day and age...you are able to do that!!!

Ok..got this off my chest.
(Edited...left out a word! Oops!)

It's always sad to hear these stories :(

Re: I can't get this out of my head....
 

Sure. Well, maybe.

What if the young man had survived?

When Mom steps in, folks yell that the son is old enough to take care of himself.

When the university intercedes, the shout of "In Loco Parentis" is heard.

The bottom line is always this: Hazing is illegal.

It shouldn't happen.

Ever.

Chapters and people who haze should be ready to face the consequences.

Exactly...it shouldn't happen!
 

And hopefully those involved will be severely punished!!!!

The bottom line, however, he lost his life.

If mom got in his business, the university jumped in, whatever...he would be ALIVE! He would have a future.

We might be fuming about the hazing, bad PR, and the stupid fraternity, but at least the guys life might have been spared.

Hazing might stop if people stepped up when they know it's happening. :(

If this jackass thought getting hazed like this was fun, I'd say it's a pretty good example of natural selection.

That's a little harsh.
There might be some other considerations.

Re: I can't get this out of my head....
 

Since this is a local, operating without the influence (is that the right word?) of IFC, how would stopping fraternity recruitment have kept this from happening. They are not IFC. Stopping IFC recruitment does not make sense.

Damn, i love you 33girl.

I was just about to type: In a world when almost everyone can breed with no survival skills there has to be some extreme cases of darwinism left . . ..

Pledge dies in hazing at Chico fraternity - House was kicked off CSU campus in 2002 f
 

Tough Words from Chico President and IFC...
 

Greek system under fire: Chico State's Zingg delivers strong warning

By MELISSA DAUGHERTY - Staff Writer

Chico State University President Paul Zingg gave a blunt warning to a
majority of Chico's Greek system Sunday evening on the Chico State campus.

Calling the hazing death of Chico State student Matthew Carrington the
"last straw," Zingg put the organizations on notice.

"The university has no intention of waiting around for another death,"
he told about 850 fraternity and sorority members in a packed Bell
Memorial Union auditorium.

Though he didn't outline exactly what the university was willing to do
to stop future incidents, he did say the entire Greek system is under
review.

Policies and procedures, and essentially every other aspect of the
organizations, will be scrutinized before the end of the semester.
That's because, fair or not, incidents of hazing are primarily within
the Greek community, he said.

Himself a former fraternity member, Zingg told students hazing has to
stop if they want the Greek system to survive.

"You are either part of the solution - collectively and every day - or
you are part of the problem," he said.

Urging students to evaluate themselves and their behavior, Zingg said
values, friendship, leadership and integrity are what the
organizations should promote.

They're attributes no one celebrates more strongly, Zingg said.

"And no one will hold you more accountable than I will," he added.

Zingg's warning comes just weeks after Carrington died from water
intoxication, a condition attributed to a hazing ritual in which he
consumed massive quantities of water.

The 21-year-old junior business major was pledging Chi Tau - a
fraternity that lost its university affiliation in 2002 but continued
to operate on its own.

Carrington's death was on the heels of the hazing-related alcohol
poisoning of a Butte College student in another fraternity that is
recognized by Chico State and the Interfraternity Council - the
governing body for Chico State fraternities.

In that case, a 19-year-old Sigma Chi pledge survived a 0.496 percent
blood-alcohol level when he was placed on a ventilator at Enloe
Medical Center.

Sunday's meeting was organized by the IFC. President Nick
Hollingsworth said Zingg was invited to the event to get students'
attention. And his summary of the Greek system was right on target.

During the meeting, students watched a documentary film about a 2003
incident, in which an 18-year-old Plattsburgh State University
student, like Carrington, died from a water-ingestion ritual.

Hollingsworth said he never thought the method would take place in
Chico. Now that it has, the IFC is working on ways to keep that
ritual, and any other types of hazing, from happening again.

He said that 75 percent of each chapters' members, and all new
members, were required to attend the meeting. The message to students
in the Greek system is clear, he said.

"You're either with us or against us," Hollingsworth said. "And if
you're against us, get out."

(Bold type added by DeltAlum)

The University essentially put the Greek System on notice, and the IFC has responded to help. This will be interesting and important to watch to see if Greeks can step up to the task of cleaning up a system that even Greeks on this board have indicated is out of control

Chico President lectures GLOs
 

(Anybody know what GLO the pres belongs to?)


No room for error among fraternities


Fraternities are in danger of being eliminated at Chico State University, figuratively taken out behind the barn and shot in the head by the university, just like Pioneer Days nearly 20 years ago.

The Greek community has been warned. But is it listening?

In the wake of one hazing death and one near-death this semester, fraternity and sorority members were summoned to the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium on Sunday night. About 850 showed up, many dressed respectfully in their Sunday best, some perhaps expecting the death penalty.

In a 10-minute speech that was the oratory equivalent of a firm spanking, university President Paul Zingg unloaded. He came across like an angry father, and the students listened attentively. It was so quiet you could hear the other shoe drop.

"I'm not here to give a lecture, or preach a sermon, or deliver a warning," said Zingg. "I'm here to tell you how it is."

He called the death of Matthew Carrington on Feb. 2 "the last straw," but stopped short of delivering perhaps a deserved but perhaps unenforceable penalty eliminating fraternities entirely.

Instead, Zingg said the university will spend the rest of the semester reviewing the Greek system. That task force may indeed decide to get rid of fraternities, though we'd bet the fraternities will get a reprieve. Three months will only dilute the pain and urgency. But we hope harsh changes are in store, because they're needed.

Zingg made it clear that fraternities and sororities can help themselves.

"You are either part of the solution, collectively and every day, or you are part of the problem. ... You are either one, or you are the other. You really don't have a choice in the matter if you expect to survive here," said Zingg.

Zingg, a former fraternity member, apologized that a few fraternity members cloud the majority. He said he realizes fraternities are beneficial. Now is the time to prove it, he said: "If you are not who you claim to be, then you are frauds."

The words were strong, but that's what is needed.

The problem with fraternities is not just the university's battle. Carrington died while pledging a fraternity that's not recognized by the university, but is kept alive by alumni. The city needs the tools to shut down such fraternities. Alumni of all fraternities need to send a message that traditions that involve hazing must stop, rather than encouraging hazing by their silence.

Police and prosecutors need to have better tools to discover hazing and tougher penalties to shut it down.

But most important, students themselves need to speak out against hazing and then live up to their words. Somebody needs to have a conscience. Somebody needs to be the voice of reason. If one person had spoken up for Carrington, instead of allowing fraternity "brothers" to humiliate him, he may be alive. The sin of silence is difficult to bear.

As Zingg said, in more eloquent words, put up or shut up. Prove that fraternities are wonderful organizations by eliminating the pain and humiliation that upperclassmen try to pass off as "traditions." Do that, or disappear.

Zingg's speech was followed by the showing of a documentary on a hazing death in New York that was remarkably similar to the Chico incident another preventable, unnecessary death. As the crowd filed out of the auditorium, the mood was somber. The students seemed to get the message. We'll see.

To read past Enterprise-Record articles on the hazing death, see

RELATED

Feb. 21:
- Greek system under fire: Chico State's Zingg delivers strong warning

Feb. 12:
- Hits and misses: Our take on the week in news

Feb. 10:
- Fraternity may have known about risk

Feb. 6:
- A simple fix to stop hazing

Feb. 5:
- Investigation continuing in fraternity death as story gains national attention
- Vigil for Chico State student draws large crowd

Feb. 4:
- Water intake confirmed as major factor in fraternity pledge's death

Feb. 3:
- Police investigating death of fraternity pledge
- Fraternity has faced problems before
www.chicoer.com.

Ongoing Chico State Pledge Death Situation...
 

Good post above.

New Threads are popping up on this story -- three just today, so I am moving them all to this thread...

Chico State - "They Never Learn?"
 

. . . and from the Feb. 22 San Jose Mercury News, plus similar stories on various TV stations' sites, including:

http://www.ktvu.com/news/4221085/detail.html

CHICO, Calif. (AP) - A freshman who collapsed from alcohol poisoning at a sorority party at California State University, Chico, over the weekend could face criminal charges, police said.

Chico police are also investigating who provided alcohol to Tara Johnson, who was recovering from the incident.

University police found Johnson, 18, a Sigma Kappa pledge, unconscious at another sorority house during a party Saturday night.

She was taken to Enloe Medical Center where her blood-alcohol level was four times the legal limit for intoxication. Johnson barely survived the overdose, officials said.

Sgt. Ford Porter said police have recommended that prosecutors charge Johnson with being drunk in public.

The incident is the second serious alcohol poisoning case this year at a Chico State fraternity or sorority.

In January, a Butte College student and pledge to Sigma Chi fraternity nearly died in a hazing ritual that raised his blood-alcohol concentration to .496 percent, more than six times the legal limit.

A 21-year-old pledge to Chi Tau, a fraternity that lost its university backing in 2002, died Feb. 2 from heavy water consumption and strenuous exercise during hazing.

On Sunday, Chico State University President Paul Zingg warned the school's Greek system that hazing must stop if fraternities and sororities are to survive.

*****

My personal opinion? Looks like it's time for GLOs to suspend operations at Chico, do hard core "membership reviews" of all chapters, and an inter-Greek campaign for major change, or else just yank the charters en masse and encourage the school to do without Greek life.

I am amazed that these students aren't being more cautious after the program they listened to!! If an administrator basically threatened my Greek system....I would be very, very careful not to make anything worse!

Then again, she's 18...probably a freshman and chances are she doesn't know her limit yet...though her sisters should have been watching out for her!

Or maybe a whole lot of the students just didn't give a rodent's rear about the president's warnings or about the signs of alcohol poisoning.

It's probably worth pointing out at this point that, while they can be related, there can also be a difference between underage drinking and hazing.

Although both need to be dealt with.

I have to agree with Nicolle on this one, although it's sad these situations happen, the fact is that it happens everywhere, not just at Chico State, and although Chico has a reputation as a party school, it's an individuals own choice to get involved in whatever "extra curricular activities" they choose. It's no ones place to judge another or any greek organization simply because of their school, or the actions/events put in motion by others. Furthermore, I've also been told by a friend who happens to go to Chico State that the campus does intend to take action as soon as soon as the police investigation is over.

Nichole

Very sad story indeed. I don't disagree that the events the fraternity made Carrington do were considered hazing (at least from my perspective), but the situation could have been more complicated.

- Did the pledge have a prior history of seizures or epilepsy? (Yes, everything listed can cause a seizure to occur, but the keyword is can.)

Myself an epileptic, I had my first seizure at 20, strangely enough during a Brotherhood night with pledges. However, there was strictly no hazing occuring and it was just a freak accident. But my neurologist mentioned that a common onset age is around 20, or in the early twenties.

So...?

If the Chico State Greeks are an asset to the community and the school (and I wouldn't know that because I've never been near your school), NOW is the time to show that.

NOW.

Yes, we are all looking at you. For good reason. Same reason we were looking at Colorado State, and Colorado, and Oklahoma, and many other schools last semester. BAD THINGS HAPPENED THERE. No amount of excuses or reasoning will erase that. Chico State is the latest one added to the list.

I'm waiting for someone to STEP UP, MAKE A COMMITTMENT, and TAKE ACTION! Do something different. Undergraduates are the ones that are in the middle of all this...YOU have to give us the answers. I (as a greek advisor) don't want to have to shut down chapters. I want to see the problems fixed. I am so tired of hearing from people "of course hazing goes on here. Everyone knows that."

REFUSE TO CONDONE IT!!

Refuse to have anything to do with the chapters that haze. Put peer pressure on them...make it totally unacceptable. You chapter chooses who they want to socialize with...you don't have to socialize with a group who doesn't live up to your standards (and your greek advisor can't make you). It doesn't have to be a rule...it has to be a choice.

Once again, through a tragedy we have the opportunity to show the world what we are really made of. I'm challenging (no, begging!) ALL Greeks out there....DO SOMETHING!

...or something will be done for you.

(whatever anger you perceive in this message is not focused on any one school, group, or individual. I'm angry about ALL of the behaviors over the past year. Dammit, it's time to stop it!!)

PsychTau

Update: Eight Charged (4 with manslaughter)

Eight men are expected to be arrested in the "water hazing" death. According to the Associated Press and other reports, four are charged with manslaughter and hazing; the other four with hazing. Example of the reports:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/0303...co_hazing.html

I tend to agree, PsychTau. The San Francisco Chronicle -- just like probably a ton of other media outlets -- is reporting that the president of Cal State-Chico is considering whether to ban fraternities and sororities entirely. The Chronicle's story also has details on the hazing. "Sadistic" is the term.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGK9BKG681.DTL

If it's a state sponsored school, the most they can do is derecognize the fraternities & sororities and even doing that is questionable in its legality.

If they do do that however, the "good" groups will play by the rules and disband, and more than likely the "bad" groups will continue on (with or without national support) and get even more out of control...with more incidents like this likely to result.

Chico can't kick students out for belonging to off campus groups which is what the Greeks would be. They'll have no way to discipline what goes on or the people who join the groups.

Derecognition never solves problems, it only makes them worse.

Psych Tau is right, this is one situation where the rest of the Greek community have to do something...

Why couldn't the sororities make this decision on their own, who cares what the Greek advisor says? If Chi Tau is that big of a-holes, why does anyone WANT to have a mixer with them?? For that matter, the fraternities could do this without the Greek advisor "approving" it. They hear ABC sorority mixed with Chi Tau, and surprise, all the fraternities that have ABC on their social calendar plan to cancel. I don't normally condone things like this but obviously this fraternity is really bad news but they are continuing on because SOMEONE is supporting them.