No hazing in UMd. pledge death
 

Fraternity Gave Liquor to Pledge Who Later Died
No Hazing, Student Says


By Amy Argetsinger
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 28, 2002; Page B01



University of Maryland freshman Daniel Reardon fell into his fatal coma after drinking bourbon with his fellow Phi Sigma Kappa pledges, a member of the fraternity said yesterday.

Rick Oliver, secretary of the recently suspended chapter, acknowledged that the fraternity served alcohol to Reardon, 19, and other underage students during a "Bid Night" gathering Feb. 7. But he said that none of the students who had pledged to join the fraternity were hazed and that none were coerced to drink.

"There was absolutely no hazing whatsoever," said Oliver, a sophomore from Perry Hall, Md. "Any way you try to frame hazing, there wasn't any."

Oliver's partial description of Bid Night is the first public account of the events leading to the death of Reardon, whose family had earlier stated that his coma was caused by excessive drinking. Oliver and other fraternity members first discussed Reardon's death in an interview in yesterday's edition of the Diamondback student newspaper.

Reardon's father, Daniel P. Reardon, said yesterday he was grateful that at least one fraternity member was willing to step forward with his story. But he declined to comment on Oliver's account, saying the events of that night remain unclear.

"I don't know what happened that evening," he said. "But I do know that my son is dead as a result of excessive consumption of alcohol in what was supposed to be a supervised environment."

Police are still investigating Reardon's death and would not comment on the account given by fraternity members. Capt. Paul Dillon, a spokesman for the campus police department, said campus and county police are conducting interviews and waiting for an autopsy report.

Reardon, a Northwest Washington native, was found unconscious at the Phi Sigma Kappa house on Fraternity Row early Feb. 8, hours after he had accepted a bid to join the chapter. He remained in critical condition for a week before his family decided to remove him from life support.

On Saturday, the national organization of Phi Sigma Kappa closed the Maryland chapter, forcing at least 30 members to find new housing, after its preliminary investigation found evidence of "a significant number" of alcohol and other violations, officials said. The university is also continuing an investigation into possible violations of campus rules, including hazing and underage drinking.

Oliver said Reardon, who had started renting a room at the Fraternity Row house at the start of the semester, was "a fun kid," well-liked by the other members. His death, Oliver said, "sent a shockwave through the whole fraternity."

Oliver said he broke the fraternity's silence on Reardon's death in part to dispel rumors that hazing was involved. Several other fraternity members did not respond to phone calls or e-mails yesterday. Oliver said that on Bid Night, the house did not host a party but instead called its 15 new pledges together for what was supposed to be a chance to get to know each other.

The pledges gathered in a room with only one established member of the house, a member of the chapter's executive board charged with assimilating the new members, Oliver said.

"They were more or less in the room, sharing stories, talking, getting to know one another," Oliver said. A large bottle of Jim Beam bourbon was passed around, he said, but "it wasn't about Jim Beam."

Oliver -- who said he was not present during these events -- said that after Reardon passed out, four fraternity members kept an eye on him. All of them were sober, Oliver said.

"There was always someone in the room with him," he said. He said the men "immediately" called for an ambulance when they noticed Reardon was breathing irregularly.

He said fraternity members were devastated to learn hours later -- while they were being interviewed at the police department -- about the severity of Reardon's condition. "There were people crying," he said. "There was total concern for Dan."