This article has some different information. For once it sounds like no one is jumping to the conclusion that the fraternity *must* have been somehow responsible for her death. If anything, this article makes Sigma Pi sound like they were doing the right thing by possibly picking her up when she was too drunk to drive and checking on her occassionally.
It's so sad that a girl with a promising future had to die due to alcohol.
.....Kelly
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Student Found Dead At Colorado Fraternity House
Report: Student's Blood Alcohol Was 5 Times Over Legal Limit
POSTED: 10:31 am EDT September 7, 2004
UPDATED: 2:25 pm EDT September 7, 2004
A college student from Nebraska was found dead over the weekend at a fraternity house in Colorado.
Authorities say alcohol likely played a role in the death of the Colorado State University student.
Published reports state Samantha Spady's blood-alcohol level was 0.43 percent, more than five times the legal limit for driving in Colorado.
Her body was found in an unused room at the Sigma Pi fraternity house on Sunday. Autopsy results show no signs of physical trauma, but that alcohol contributed to the 19-year-old's death. Spady was not sexually assaulted, and foul play was not suspected, police said. Toxicology tests were also planned but those results won't be known for 10 days.
Police were reportedly investigating whether Spady and a friend were involved in a one-car accident over the weekend. Officials believe that Spady was drunk at the time, abandoned her car and called a member of Sigma Pi for a ride.
It's not clear whether Spady drank at the fraternity house on Saturday night, but police believe members of the fraternity occasionally checked on her and thought she had passed out.
Fraternity president Darren Pettapiece said there was no party at the house that night -- the night of the big in-state football rivalry with the University of Colorado -- and no one he had spoken with had admitted drinking with Spady. Members of the fraternity are trying to deal with the tragic events.
Pettapiece said the fraternity members have always been responsible when it comes to alcohol abuse and risk management.
The Greek community on the CSU campus banned all parties involving alcohol at fraternity and sorority houses. Parties with alcohol are allowed only in third-party locations, such as bars or hotels, and guest lists must be submitted to the Greek Life office, according to a school official.
A fraternity member was giving his mother a house tour when they found Spady's fully-clothed body in an empty sofa-filled lounge on the second floor. Witnesses said that there was no vomit near her body and no drug and alcohol paraphernalia around her.
CSU officials are waiting for Fort Collins, Colo., police to complete their investigation before deciding what action to take.
Police estimated that Spady died Sunday morning so she may have been in the empty room about 12 hours before they were called.
Spady's friends in Nebraska said they were shocked about her mysterious death. The college sophomore was an honor student, head varsity cheerleader, homecoming queen, and senior class president before graduating from Beatrice High School in Beatrice, Neb., in 2003.
Family friend Nile Dragoo called Spady "bubbly, refreshing, a breath of fresh air," who would light up a room as soon as she walked in.
Her family and friends are suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her death and say it's unlike her to binge drink and go into a frat house by herself.
"This just doesn't seem like her at all," said Adam Tatro, a friend from high school. "Sam, she was a smart girl. If you knew her at all through high school, she wasn't getting in trouble. She wasn't out doing stupid things. She was an all-around nice girl. This was out of character."
Spady was a former member of the Chi Omega sorority, just down the street from Sigma Pi, and had many friends in Sigma Pi.
Spady was majoring in business and came from a prominent family in Nebraska. Her father, Rick Spady, owns several businesses, including Spady-Runcie, a car dealership in Beatrice, a town of about 13,000 located about 40 miles south of Lincoln, Neb.
Friends say she moved to Fort Collins to attend CSU so that she could get away from the small-town life she knew and explore different life experiences.
A neighbor said Spady's parents were vacationing out of state when they got word of their daughter's death and immediately headed to Fort Collins.
College drinking may be worse than people think. A new study shows that drinking 24 drinks at a time is not uncommon among some college students. The survey of college students in California found that among 1,000 male college drinkers, there are 50 or more occasions per month in which 24 or more drinks may be consumed.
Results from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute also indicate that 10 percent of the time, female college drinkers may have 12 or more drinks and 20 percent of the time, male college drinkers may have 12 or more drinks.
Past research on binge drinking has looked only at consumption of five drinks or more, without quantifying how much more.
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