Sigma Chi - Chico: "initiation week"

[hoosier]

June 14, 2005 - 12:01:38 AM PST

Hazing alleged in near-fatal alcohol overdose

By TERRY VAU DELL - Staff Writer

OROVILLE - The mother of an underage Butte College student suggested in court Monday that her son's near-fatal alcohol overdose in February may have been part of a fraternity hazing.

Richard Amador, 19, was rushed to a Chico hospital Feb. 20 with a reported .496 percent blood alcohol level nearly six times the legal limit.

Prosecutors confirmed Monday "some hazing may have occurred" in connection with the alcohol overdose, but there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges.

On Monday, Kevin Hallmeyer, 21, a Chico State University senior and member of Sigma Chi fraternity, pleaded "no contest" to two misdemeanor counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor one of them causing "bodily injury or death." Eight additional counts were dismissed.

In offering the plea bargain to the Chico fraternity member, deputy district attorney Kurt Worley said he had taken into account the fact that Hallmeyer had taken the dangerously intoxicated student to the hospital and has since been actively involved in an education campaign on campus to promote responsible student drinking.

Hallmeyer, who tearfully hugged the victim's mother outside of court Monday, will serve two months in jail and also must perform 24 hours of community service as a condition of probation ordered by assigned Superior Court Judge William Lamb.

A July 18 hearing has been set for the judge to determine how much restitution should be paid to the binge-drinking victim.

Reading from a prepared statement at Hallmeyer's court hearing Monday, Valerie Amador told the judge when her son was taken off life-support systems after two days in the hospital, family members asked him why he drank so much.

She quoted her son as telling her that if the pledges didn't finish the first gallon of vodka, "Hallmeyer would make us drink another gallon."

Asked why he "didn't stand up and refuse," her teenage son told her he felt he wouldn't be admitted into the Chico fraternity.

The student's mother told the judge Monday she could no longer "keep her mouth shut" and allow her son to continue to be characterized in the media as just another drunk college student.

Turning to the defendant in court, the teen's mother told Hallmeyer: "Ricky didn't ask you to buy that alcohol and it almost killed him."

"I'm sorry," the Chico State student whispered back to the victim's mother.

Asked about the assertion that the underage pledges were made to drink alcohol as part of a fraternity initiation, Hallmeyer's Sacramento attorney, Bill Portanova, replied, "If there was evidence of that, he'd have been charged with it."

"The Chico college scene has been awash in alcohol for years," noted the defense attorney, who credited the District Attorney's Office for "striking a fair balance" in Hallmeyer's case.

"Kevin Hallmeyer wakes up every morning thanking God that he took him (Amador) to the hospital and that his life was saved."

Hallmeyer declined comment as to the mother's allegations that the underage pledges were required to drink to get into the Chico fraternity.

According to Worley, who prosecuted the case, 10 underage Sigma Chi pledges were sheet-rocking a backyard structure during "initiation week" at the Chico fraternity house when Hallmeyer was given money to purchase alcohol.

"We believe some hazing did occur," said the prosecutor. But he added there was "insufficient corroboration" to support the charge.

Sigma Chi was placed under suspension pending an investigation by Chico State University, the results of which have not been made public.

The near-fatality took place less than three weeks after a 21-year-old Chico State student, Michael Carrington, died after allegedly being made to drink large amounts of water while performing rigorous exercises as part of a fraternity pledge ritual.

Seven members of the defunct Chi Tau fraternity are facing hazing charges and four of them are also accused of manslaughter in connection with Carrington's death.

[luvtoscrap]

Sounds like Chico State University has some major issues to deal with in regards to Student Life. This is really bad PR for the Greek system but even worse for the University.

Who wants to bet that the University will try to close down all Greek organizations before dealing with the issue of alcohol prevention and abuse among the student population?

(The betting comment does not apply to any exchange of money-just an expression)

[mmcat]

it doesn't get any better, does it?
that's too bad.

[Tom Earp]

If the morons at the Chapters at Chico keep this crap up, say goodby to Greeks there!

They keep digging the holes to bury themselves in.

1 is bad, but when there are more than that, it dont look good!

[LittleGirl]

Originally posted by luvtoscrap
Sounds like Chico State University has some major issues to deal with in regards to Student Life. This is really bad PR for the Greek system but even worse for the University.

Who wants to bet that the University will try to close down all Greek organizations before dealing with the issue of alcohol prevention and abuse among the student population?

(The betting comment does not apply to any exchange of money-just an expression)

you hit the nail on the head. there is a long history of alcohol related problems (I will try to see if I can dig up some articles about Pioneer Days/Rancho Chico Days) at Chico not just in the Greek System.

the greek system there is in it's final days. it's sad.

[exlurker]

New Chico Greek Life Rules Adopted

According to an ABC station serving Sacramento, etc., CSU-Chico and the Greeks there have agreed on a set of rules and changes that'll be implemented in stages. The story has a link to the Chico task force's report:

http://www.news10.net/storyfull1.asp?id=11504

Among the changes that the TV station highlights: alcohol and drug-free housing and events, membership reviews that involve nationals, and a later rush.

Edited to fix the URL

[exlurker]

Chico Greek Life Task Force Report

For those* who want to skip the TV station story and just see the Chico task force report:

http://www.csuchico.edu/sa/greekreport

* (which might include Chico Greek alumni/ae and regional officers and volunteers of GLOs with chapters at Chico)

[hoosier]

The University's task force says:

"Since 1996, ten people have died from alcohol, other drugs, or hazing. Seven of those have been the result of Greek organization activity or involved a member of the Greek community."

While we hate it that anybody has been hazed or died, especially GLO members, the deaths of 10 people over nine years on a campus of 16,000 doesn't constitute a crisis.

If this task force report prompts some improvement - especially in academics - some good has been achieved.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by hoosier
The University's task force says:

"Since 1996, ten people have died from alcohol, other drugs, or hazing. Seven of those have been the result of Greek organization activity or involved a member of the Greek community."

While we hate it that anybody has been hazed or died, especially GLO members, the deaths of 10 people over nine years on a campus of 16,000 doesn't constitute a crisis.

If this task force report prompts some improvement - especially in academics - some good has been achieved.

But it's a school, not the military.

-Rudey

[Tom Earp]

Rudey,

granted it is not the Military, it may soon be a School without Greeks on campus if they dont get it straight in the near future.


As in hoosier post, 10 alchohol related deats in 9 years.

That is almost one a year, and a very major problem there.

I am sure it will get to the point that any Greek Organization that sneezes will be suspended from Campus but, to what avail?

[exlurker]

The president of Chico's Panhellenic is quoted in an article in the local paper. Here's the excerpt:

Michelle Dobin, Panhellenic president and member of a Chico sorority, echoed Zingg that the chapters need to reorganize.

"And I think that would be really difficult to do with new members," she said.

Dobin, 21, sat on the task force and said many of the guidelines were things she, and other student leaders, suggested be implemented. While it's early, and Greeks likely haven't seen the new policies, Dobin said she thinks most members know the changes are necessary.

"It's important we do this for the Greek system to survive and to grow stronger," she said. "Obviously it was time for a change."

The entire article is at:

http://www.chicoer.com/Stories/0,141...925724,00.html

[NebraskaDelt]

Maybe I missed something in the article, but why were Sigma Chi members hazing someone that went to another college? The article says the victim attended Butte College, which is in Oroville.

[LittleGirl]

Originally posted by NebraskaDelt
Maybe I missed something in the article, but why were Sigma Chi members hazing someone that went to another college? The article says the victim attended Butte College, which is in Oroville.

Butte is a junior college a stones throw from Chico. Some kids go to Butte and then transfer over.

[exlurker]

Originally posted by NebraskaDelt
Maybe I missed something in the article, but why were Sigma Chi members hazing someone that went to another college? The article says the victim attended Butte College, which is in Oroville.

Good question, NebraskaDelt! The deal is, the Chico Sigma Chi chapter apparently took some Butte College students as members. Since that was not allowed by Sigma Chi's national bylaws, they had to kick out four members when Sigma Chi HQ found out. This is mentioned in a "year in review" article in the Chico student paper -- check out the short paragraph headed "Feb. 16" at:


http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/di.../4283b47f06e04

or search Google News for some combination of the three words "Butte Sigma Chi"

So it doesn't sound improbable at all that they would have been pledging/hazing a Butte student. Unpleasant, but not improbable.

[exlurker]

Originally posted by exlurker
Chico Greek Life Task Force Report

For those who want to skip the TV station story and just see the Chico task force report:

http://www.csuchico.edu/sa/greekreport

Just a reminder: people who are interested in the recommended changes at Chico may want to check back in a few days to see the action plans. As Appendix I of the report mentions,

"The Planning Worksheets are action plans for the recommendations in the task force report. They will be posted to the web site by June 25, 2005."