Word: kruegers
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...case against Phi Gamma Delta, the MIT fraternity where first-year Scott Krueger died as a result of alcohol poisoning, effectively concluded last week with the frat's disbanding. With no individual fraternity member named in the indictment, the closing of the fraternity chapter effectively absolved its (ex-)members of any criminal responsibility for Krueger's death...
...outcome of this case is disappointing, to say the least. We accept that the culture of binge drinking is widespread, and that Phi Gamma Delta members were perhaps acting only as irresponsibly as many other college organizations. However, the failure to hold individual members responsible not only denied the Krueger family their day in court, but also sent the wrong message to the myriad fraternities and final clubs which populate America's campuses. "Drink, haze, disband, and move on" is a message that makes a mockery of the judicial process...
Instead of trumpeting the unprecedented, but fundamentally flawed, charges brought against the fraternity, the District Attorney's office should have focused on the people who are most directly responsible for Krueger's death--the former officers of the now-defunct Phi Gamma Delta chapter. These officers should be held accountable for creating an environment in which Krueger was not only hazed but was subsequently carried by fraternity members to the fraternity's basement and left alone in a medically precarious condition while the fraternity partied...
Sadly, through its mishandling of this case, the District Attorney might have succeeded in sending the message to fraternity members everywhere that they need not assume responsibility for the collective. This is a message which undermines the increased emphasis on responsible drinking which resulted from Krueger's tragic death...
...support his allegation that club members and guests abuse alcohol, Dean Lewis asserted that "many believe that if a death like that of MIT's Scott Krueger were to occur to a Harvard student, the most likely locus would be a final club." Does this anonymous and ambiguous "many" have any expertise on alcohol consumption to warrant this bold prediction? If they do have such expertise, Dean Lewis should have listed their qualifications. More than likely, however, the phrase "many believe" is a cover for the phrase "I believe," but worded in a sufficiently vague manner so that Dean Lewis...