[DeltAlum]

Greek system under fire: Chico State's Zingg delivers strong warning

By MELISSA DAUGHERTY - Staff Writer

Chico State University President Paul Zingg gave a blunt warning to a
majority of Chico's Greek system Sunday evening on the Chico State campus.

Calling the hazing death of Chico State student Matthew Carrington the
"last straw," Zingg put the organizations on notice.

"The university has no intention of waiting around for another death,"
he told about 850 fraternity and sorority members in a packed Bell
Memorial Union auditorium.

Though he didn't outline exactly what the university was willing to do
to stop future incidents, he did say the entire Greek system is under
review.

Policies and procedures, and essentially every other aspect of the
organizations, will be scrutinized before the end of the semester.
That's because, fair or not, incidents of hazing are primarily within
the Greek community, he said.

Himself a former fraternity member, Zingg told students hazing has to
stop if they want the Greek system to survive.

"You are either part of the solution - collectively and every day - or
you are part of the problem," he said.

Urging students to evaluate themselves and their behavior, Zingg said
values, friendship, leadership and integrity are what the
organizations should promote.

They're attributes no one celebrates more strongly, Zingg said.

"And no one will hold you more accountable than I will," he added.

Zingg's warning comes just weeks after Carrington died from water
intoxication, a condition attributed to a hazing ritual in which he
consumed massive quantities of water.

The 21-year-old junior business major was pledging Chi Tau - a
fraternity that lost its university affiliation in 2002 but continued
to operate on its own.

Carrington's death was on the heels of the hazing-related alcohol
poisoning of a Butte College student in another fraternity that is
recognized by Chico State and the Interfraternity Council - the
governing body for Chico State fraternities.

In that case, a 19-year-old Sigma Chi pledge survived a 0.496 percent
blood-alcohol level when he was placed on a ventilator at Enloe
Medical Center.

Sunday's meeting was organized by the IFC. President Nick
Hollingsworth said Zingg was invited to the event to get students'
attention. And his summary of the Greek system was right on target.

During the meeting, students watched a documentary film about a 2003
incident, in which an 18-year-old Plattsburgh State University
student, like Carrington, died from a water-ingestion ritual.

Hollingsworth said he never thought the method would take place in
Chico. Now that it has, the IFC is working on ways to keep that
ritual, and any other types of hazing, from happening again.

He said that 75 percent of each chapters' members, and all new
members, were required to attend the meeting. The message to students
in the Greek system is clear, he said.

"You're either with us or against us," Hollingsworth said. "And if
you're against us, get out."

(Bold type added by DeltAlum)

The University essentially put the Greek System on notice, and the IFC has responded to help. This will be interesting and important to watch to see if Greeks can step up to the task of cleaning up a system that even Greeks on this board have indicated is out of control