Update January 30, 2008
A CBS affiliate reports on the statement released by Sigma Nu HQ in connection with the death of a Clemson student:
http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/...1-30-0029.html
An Associated Press article reports that three young men face misdemeanor charges (alcohol-related}:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j...53FMwD8UGCK400
Excerpts from the AP story:
Three fraternity members at Clemson University were charged with alcohol-related misdemeanors after a freshman died of alcohol poisoning during an off-campus party, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
The students' activities did not directly lead to the death of 18-year-old Benjamin Garrison Sprague, prosecutor Chrissy Adams said. But the three students, all members of the fraternity Sigma Nu, face charges that include transferring beer and liquor to a minor and using fake identification to buy alcohol.
Adams said Sprague was not forced to drink at the party.
"Ben made choices that night to consume alcohol, and he consumed alcohol in excess, and that led to his death," Adams said. "These boys made a mistake by providing the alcohol and having it available at a fraternity party to underage drinkers."
. . . After Sprague's death, the school's Sigma Nu chapter was placed on interim suspension by the university and the national fraternity pending investigations.
Please note that the prosecutor has been careful to say that the late Mr. Sprague "was not forced to drink," and that the actions of the three men charged did not lead directly to his death.