Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin
While I think everyone without exception is saddened at the loss of any life so young and promising as this one, part of any such tragedy should involve measures to prevent a repeat tragedy.
That's really what the RM forum is for.
I'd like to see this topic remain respectful toward SAE at SMU. If you're not personally involved, you probably aren't in a position to do much more than speculate as to what happened.
That said, there is a serious nationwide issue of drug abuse occurring within our respective chapters. It's a fine line we have to walk between expecting brothers to fend for themselves, be adults, etc. versus realizing that we're dealing with young men who are prone to make very serious mistakes with their lives. In some respects, we have to be our brothers' keepers.
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Thank you Kevin for both your kind words and thoughts.
As you pointed out, very few if anyone here knows just the who, what, when, where and whys of both the death of Brother Stiles or of Theta Chi's James Echels. In truth, the only ones who do are dead.
Here, all we can do ( IMHO/OPOV ) is think of them, their running mates, their krewe, their Brothers, and their Families and wish them all well.
The only link I will make is really a follow-up to Kevin's comment.
To prefix it, back in the day, my chapter had a drug problem that just about tore the house in two. While the drugs at the time were not of this level, IMHO just a bad. But we as a house got it worked out. There was only one incident that I feel we could and should have have done better with.
That said, any living group, social group, activity group is just a sub-section of society. And we know that there is a National problem with drugs. So the odds are that there will be drugs in GLO's. However we are Brothers and Sisters to each other. We should be watching out for each other because we all have problems and we all can stumble.
Giving a person a hand and getting help as needed is not a bad thing. It is just a shame that all to many times doing that is made out to be the bad thing.
And as posted all to many times here, once something does happen, it gives the chapter, the Greek System, Nationals et al all a black eye.
However one can only wish to some good to came out of this. All to often people see injury and death, in the news, as something foreign. Something that could not happen to anyone that they know or even themselves.
However, once something comes home ( in my case a few car accidents and plane crashes ) one can see it in a far difference light.
One can only hope that in these cases, something good does come out of it.
Off of my soap box.