Lehigh Fraternity President accused of risking woman's life

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Subject: Lehigh fraternity leader accused of risking woman's life

The Morning Call
March 18, 2004

Frat leader accused of risking woman's life
Police: Lehigh student lied to cover up party while teen was passed out with 0.30 blood-alcohol ratio.

By Manuel Gamiz Jr.
Of The Morning Call

The president of a Lehigh University fraternity faces charges that he lied to police about a party where a 19-year-old student passed out from drinking alcohol. He is accused of trying to cover up the incident and delaying medical care for the student, a woman.

Theta Delta Chi President Edward F. Cilli, whose fraternity is on
probation for alcohol violations, told a university police officer driving past the fraternity early Feb. 27 that there was no party, police say. Thinking everything was fine, the officer left.

Inside the fraternity house at 107 Hill Drive in Bethlehem, university police say, the 19-year-old was passed out with a blood-alcohol ratio of more than 0.30 percent. She was taken to St. Luke's Hospital, Fountain Hill, by several frantic students and remained in the hospital for a day, police said.

Lehigh Police Chief Edward Shupp said police found out later that Cilli lied to them about the party, and in doing so endangered the life of the woman, whose name was not released, by delaying her emergency care. Cilli, 19, of Asbury, N.J., was charged Monday with reckless endangerment, making false reports to police and selling or furnishing alcohol to minors. Two other fraternity members also were charged. Like Cilli, Cheng Wang,
21, of Beaverton, Ore., was charged with reckless endangerment, making false reports and selling alcohol to minors. Police said he was tending bar at the party.

Mete Kahyagil, 20, no address given, who told police he found the woman walking along the street and was only trying to help her, was charged with reckless endangerment, making false reports and unsworn falsification. All were released on $25,000 unsecured bail. Shupp said the investigation is continuing and others might be charged.

University officials said they are investigating the three students and the actions of Theta Delti Chi, which has been on disciplinary probation since last spring for serving alcohol to underage students.

The latest incident might lead to further discipline and possibly lead to its suspension from campus activities, officials said Wednesday. ''Because of last spring's violation, they were not allowed to have social events or have any alcohol inside the house,'' said John Smeaton, vice provost for student affairs. ''Based on the information we have, it looks bad.''

The case will go through the university's discipline process, Smeaton said. It will also go before District Justice Nancy Matos-Gonzalez, who will preside over a hearing for the three students March 25.

''We will look both at the individuals as well as the entire group,''
Smeaton said. ''The issue that someone's health was put at risk is very serious, and that will be taken into account.''

No one at Phi Delta Theta fraternity house, which overlooks Bethlehem from atop the campus, would comment Wednesday.

Other Lehigh fraternities that have seen disciplinary action include Sigma Nu, which recently had its university recognition withdrawn for hazing, Smeaton said. In December 2001, the national Phi Delta Theta fraternity withdrew its recognition from the Lehigh chapter after an extremely drunk student fell from the balcony. According to the national chapter's Web site, the Lehigh chapter is inactive.

In March 2000, Lehigh banned Zeta Psi for four years because members violated school policy by bringing a beer keg into their house. At the time, Zeta Psi was on disciplinary probation for an earlier alcohol offense and had been ordered to be alcohol-free for the rest of the school year. Earlier, Lehigh had suspended Theta Delta Chi for four years after a 1992 hazing incident.

University police have gone to the fraternity house in the past, Shupp said. ''We're called to all fraternities at one time or another. Sometimes it's something minor, sometimes not.''

Shupp said an investigation, which included interviews with several people at the party, revealed that Theta Delta Chi planned a party on Feb. 26 with the Chi Omega sorority house. The hospitalized student was not a member of the sorority, Shupp said.

The university officer went to the brick Theta Delta Chi fraternity
house at 2:52 a.m. Feb. 27 on routine patrol and spoke to Cilli.

Shupp said the officer had no reason to go inside the house because he had no knowledge that there were more than 50 people inside, including the student who had passed out.

University police were called to St. Luke's Hospital by Fountain Hill
police concerning a disturbance call to the hospital caused by the
Lehigh students trying to get help for the student, Shupp said.