Tragedy in IIT Fraternity House

[momoftwo]

This appeared in today's Chicago Tribune. As a mother of a college freshman, this kind of news is always unsettling. The cause of death is unknown at this point.

IIT student dies after gathering at frat house
Freshman found unconscious

By Angela Rozas
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 6, 2003

An Illinois Institute of Technology freshman who played on the school's soccer team died early Sunday after attending a gathering at a fraternity house, where she was found unconscious.

Amy Wiese, 18, of West Bloomfield, Mich., was with a group of students at the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house in the 3300 block of South Wabash Avenue Saturday night when she complained of nausea and went to lie down, said Phil Rozen, a university spokesman.

About 2:18 a.m., a fraternity member found her unconscious in the house and called police, Rozen and police said.

She was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 3:46 a.m., said a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner.

Police said they did not know what caused Wiese's death. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

David Baker, the university's vice president for external affairs, said school officials did not know if students were drinking at the fraternity house.

"I don't want to speculate at this point while there is an investigation going on," Baker said. "Right now, we're focused on getting grief counseling to the students and helping them get through this."

Rozen said he had been told the fraternity did not throw a party, but that Wiese and a group of students gathered in a fraternity member's room. He said he didn't know how many students were in the room.

"At this time our thoughts and prayers go out to the Wiese family," he said.

Wiese was a freshman studying chemical engineering. She lived in McCormick Student Village, a residence hall across the street from the fraternity house, Rozen said.

Her parents were notified early Sunday morning and drove to the university, he said.

Wiese played four years of varsity soccer in high school and was a forward on the university's soccer team.

Lee Hitchen, her coach, described her as a young player whose wit and talent made her a team leader.

"She was a very bright, a very happy individual," said Hitchen, who is also the athletic director of the university. "She was the kind of girl people liked to be around. She was very well liked."

Grief counselors met Sunday with students at Wiese's residence hall and at the fraternity house, where campus police stood guard most of the morning.

Young men who left the fraternity house said they did not want to talk.

"We are fully cooperating with police and we have no comment," said one student, who identified himself as a fraternity member but would not give his name.

Other students who said they didn't know Wiese were saddened to learn of her death.

"It's a really big shock. This school is going to be reeling from that," said Sabine Kollwitz, a freshman from St. Petersburg, Fla. "This is not a party school."