SMU student found dead at SAE House

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

With respect, I (at least partially) disagree.

Having been a division officer at a chapter where there was a suicide and having to talk to grieving parents, brothers and other students (Greek and non) at a memorial service on the campus; and having been recommended to be an investigator for issues such as this (I declined), I feel pretty strongly that there are lessons to be learned and that the way that happens is through an ongoing dialog.

Well, I'll have to disagree, at least partially and also with respect.

Yes, this is a Risk Management - Hazing & etc. forum. (Maybe later someone can explain to me why a forum for people with college educations has "& Etc." in the title.) And yes, there are always lessons to be learned through ongoing dialog, regardless of the tragedy that gives rise to the dialogue.

But all parties have to be ready for the dialogue, which is often not the case immediately after an event such as this. And all parties have to understand what the dialogue is about -- is it about risk management or is it about personal responsibility when it comes to drugs and alcohol, or is it about both?

The purpose of this forum notwithstanding, I can understand completly why some close to the situation take offense when others with minimal knowledge of the facts offer what can come across as gratuitous, even patronizing, advice on risk management. (I'm not saying any advice or comments were intended to be patronizing, but I can see how they were received that way.) Meaningful dialogue requires that those participating in the dialogue all be adequately informed. Unlike the situation you describe of the suicide in the chapter in your division, no one here, except for Mac, is anywhere near "on the ground" with this situation.

That is why I think, with all respect, that the time for the time for risk management discussions must wait until everyone has all the facts. When all the facts are in hand, it just might turn out that Mac knows what he's been talking about and, despite the OP's placement of the thread in this forum, this tragic death is not really a risk management issue at all.