Hazing- Water Poisoning

[Bluevelvet]

San Francisco Chronicle
CHICO
Fraternity pledge died of water poisoning
Forced drinking can disastrously dilute blood's salt content

Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, February 4, 2005

A Chico fraternity pledge died of water poisoning, authorities said Thursday as experts warned that the dangerous hazing ritual has killed at least one other person as fraternities are replacing alcohol bingeing with excessive water-drinking.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/04/BAGNSB576121.DTL

[onpoint]

Exhibit A of why I never had interest in joining a frat. I think it's safe to say that too much of ANYTHING can kill you.

[tamu33]

Usually you only hear of water poisoning at raves.

Quite sad when you think about it. How do they tell his parents? Does the fraternity take all the blame or does the University take some for not enforcing a anti-hazing policy.

[MinesGoallie45]

I dont know if you can blame the university....how are they going to really enforce an anti-hazing policy. One answer is the elimination of Frats from campus, but that would cause alot of alum uproar everywhere.....so I mean things happen in college, maybe that is the way that it has to be looked at. The more rules that are passed, the more that the people are going to want to break them.....Bigger, Harder, and Faster....thusly more dangerous.

[Jay Wisnieski]

What I don't understand about all of these hazing-related deaths is why these pledges don't just walk away when they realize something's wrong with their bodies. I know that feeling when I've drank too much (alcohol, water, apple juice, whatever it may be), so I stop myself when I get to that point. If someone was sitting there forcing me to drink more than I could handle, and they wouldn't listen to me if I told them I couldn't take anymore, I'd walk away and tell them to screw themselves.

Are these deaths the result of an unquenchable desire to be accepted into a group so much so that the pledge will not stop themselves against their better judgement, or are they the result of an attitude of "I had to do it, so you have to as well"? Either way I believe the blame and the fault should be placed squarely on the fraternity and its members. The University sets rules for them to follow, it's the fraternity that chooses whether or not to follow them.

[Hackalicious]

Usually you only hear of water poisoning at raves.

Quite sad when you think about it. How do they tell his parents? Does the fraternity take all the blame or does the University take some for not enforcing a anti-hazing policy.

The ironic part is that the reason they were drinking water was probably because they were forbidden from drinking alcohol.

They'll probably ban all liquids in response, until next year when someone dies from eating urinal cakes or something.

[Bluevelvet]

he was in the final stage of a months long process to rush Chi Tau fraternity -- a rowdy house that had been expelled from California State University Chico in 2002 for repeated violence and alcohol violations.

The university had expelled this frat. They were beyond university control.

"These unsanctioned fraternities have no standing with the university, so to build prestige they like to come up with the most grueling initiations," Nuwer said, "And they think water is safer than alcohol, but it can also be deadly."

Forced water consumption and heavy exercise are known to dilute the salt content of blood to the point where it interferes with brain, heart and muscle function. Without enough sodium, the brain swells and victims can suffer fatal comas.

Carrington may not have been able to realize that it had gone too far.

[jessexy]

Usually you only hear of water poisoning at raves.

Quite sad when you think about it. How do they tell his parents? Does the fraternity take all the blame or does the University take some for not enforcing a anti-hazing policy.

The ironic part is that the reason they were drinking water was probably because they were forbidden from drinking alcohol.

They'll probably ban all liquids in response, until next year when someone dies from eating urinal cakes or something.

represent ODB. long live osiris

[ZagGrad]

Sometimes, it depends on your brothers or older members of the house. When I pledged, there were only a few things I was forced to do and none of those involved putting any foreign substance(s) into my body. I was never forced to drink alchohal or do drugs. My house was a pretty popular house on campus as well (not Gonzaga-I was a transfer) and we did know how to have a good time. We also knew when to draw the line and many people didn't and don't. Also, water "poisoning" can happen to anyone--for the most part. I've heard of several stories involving death due to too much water hydration.

[FlockOfSeagulls]

There was a kid at SMU last year that went into a coma for ODing on water. Crazy part was, it wasn't a traditional IFC fraternity, it was a smaller black fraternity comprised of some of the most prominent kids in the school as far as campus involvement goes. I think when it was all said and done, two guys got expelled. Having been in a fraternity, what I cannot understand is why an active would want to watch/make some kid drink 8 gallons of water? That can't be the slightest bit amusing or entertaining... Of course fraternities shouldnt be hazing like this, but if a kid can't say no to something they dont want to do (regardless of the pressure) then a lot of the blame must fall right there. Kids always have a choice.

[laxfan25]

I attended the University of Connecticut, and a few years before I arrived they had kicked all Frats and Sororities off-campus. Supposedly it had something to do with an attempted abortion gone wrong...
At the time I was at UConn they only had 300 total Greeks, very small. Also at that time (early 70's) frats weren't cool - Sex, drugs and Rock 'n roll were! Well, I guess things haven't changed that much after all...