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WBAY-TV
Oshkosh , WI
October 3, 2003
Frat House Death Blamed on Drugs, Alcohol
By Jason Zimmerman
A U.W.-Oshkosh student died from a dangerous combination of drugs and alcohol, Winnebago County authorities determined.
Jason Hert, 24, of Oshkosh, was found dead at the Delta Chi fraternity house on Wisconsin Street on September 11th. Hert's fraternity brothers say they found him dead in his bedroom after a night of partying. Most people we spoke to described the young man as a good student and family-oriented.
Thursday the fraternity's advisor expressed his sympathies for Hert's families, and expressed her concerns about binge drinking. Hert's death is seen as an example of what can happen if you don't know your limits.
Beer bongs, happy hours, they're almost always a sight seen somewhere near any college campus.
"I've binge-drinked, but I don't exceed it," Dominic Peters, a college junior, said.
Peters knows how hard it can be to quit before the last call. "I know when to stop. I'm not passing out all the time, I can handle myself. It's an individual thing."
Ron J. Montgomery, the Delta Chi advisor, says the accidental death of Jason Hert was unexpected.
"If any good can come of this, I think all undergraduates need to be aware of the effects of drugs and alcohol on not just their academic life but on their life," Montgomery said.
"It was definately a shock to see something like that," Jim Campbell said. At Kappa Sigma, Campbell hopes those who binge will now think twice.
Others aren't so sure. Ellie Svien, a UWO sophomore, said, "I think people will want to act like it's a wakeup call, maybe perhaps for a bit. Of course we're sad and it's hard to hear, but I think there's so much ingrained in college life, it's hard to turn around."
The university says it is only a small number who binge. It says about 70 percent of students either drink socially or not at all.
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