The University of Missouri (UM) has suspended all fraternity events after a freshman was hospitalized following an alcohol overdose at a fraternity party on Wednesday.
The student was found unresponsive after an alcohol-fueled Phi Gamma Delta (commonly known as ‘Fiji’) event. His condition remains unknown.
The fraternity has been suspended both by the university and its parent organization. Campus police and MU’s Office of Student Accountability and Support are currently investigating the incident.
Although MU is an alcohol-free campus and students need special permission to consume alcohol on school premises, the university’s Fiji chapter has been in trouble for illegally distributing alcohol twice this year.
School officials said they have halted social events indefinitely and are “completing a thorough review of the methods put in place to ensure safety at fraternity events.”
Similar Concerns
Wednesday’s event has once again put the spotlight on student safety at Greek events in post-secondary institutions.
The event comes within hours of a University of Kentucky freshman dying of alcohol poisoning at an on-campus fraternity house. The Fayette County Coroner’s Office report said 18-year-old Lofton Hazelwood died of “presumed alcohol toxicity.”
The university has pledged two investigations — one by the police, another by the university — and suspended all of the fraternity’s activities. Students also held a vigil on Tuesday to remember Hazelwood.