Search results for category: College Drinking

Iowa Football Player Charged with DUI in Iowa City

Starting player arrested for drunk driving on moped.

The starting offensive tackle for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team was arrested for driving under the influence in Iowa City. Kyle Calloway was stopped by officers after riding a moped into a barricaded area. He admitted to having consumed seven or eight beers. Calloway submitted to field sobriety tests and a breath test, which registered a blood alcohol content of .106%. The legal limit for intoxication for adults in Iowa is .08%.

Calloway will be a senior next season and was listed as the starting right tackle during spring practice sessions. He has been suspended for one game by coach Kirk Ferentz. The school has also required Calloway to complete alcohol counseling classes and perform community service before rejoining the football team.

Were you arrested for DUI in IA?

76% Increase in Citations at 'Unofficial' St Patrick's Day Party in Illinois

DUI arrests and criminal charges up during this year's University of Illinois two day binge-fest.

For thirteen years, students at the University of Illinois have celebrated a pre-St. Patrick’s Day party known simply as the 'Unofficial'. This year's two day drinking oriented event resulted 351 citations, a 76% increase, being issued for offenses including underage drinking, drug possession, criminal damage and driving under the influence in Illinois.

The drinking free-for-all draws UI students and alumni, as well as out-of-towners. Partiers have been known to line up at campus bars before 8:00 am, organize private parties and try to take alcohol to classes. Those cited by the police included students from 52 colleges and 2 high schools from twelve states. About one third of the total violations issued were given to University of Illinois students.

Law enforcement for the even was comprised of Illinois State Police, the County Sheriff’s Department, local police departments from the towns of Champaign and Urbana, university police and the Liquor Control Commission. Officers were informed that there would be no days off and the must be prepared to work overtime.

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'State Patty's Day' Event in Pennsylvania Generates 311 Calls to Police

Viral party begun by Penn State students leads to 14 PA DUI arrests.

An early St. Patrick's Day celebration started by Penn State students led to a spike in police calls, crime and drunk driving arrests in State College, Pennsylvania. Dubbed 'State Patty’s Day', the weekend party generated 311 calls to police, 79 criminal arrests, 21 alcohol overdoses, 31 noise citations and 14 arrests for driving under the influence in PA.

This is the third year for the event, which is primarily promoted through social networking web sites, such as Facebook. One organizer said he asked participants to "celebrate safely". This year’s event reportedly drew alumni and students from other schools besides Penn State. There were a total of 262 calls to police last year.

The demand for police stretched the city's services, leading many to criticize the focus and impact of the event. Some noted the use of ambulances to carry inebriated revelers, which left limited medical personnel for other types of emergency. A spokesperson with the State College police department said the scale of the event and potential danger to the public was evident by the number of arrests made for Pennsylvania DUI even with overworked manpower.

Campus and city law enforcement officers are hoping the crime rate decreases on the real St. Patrick's Day, now that the students have celebrated.

Have you or someone you know been charged with PA DUI?

The Nittany Lion is Busted for DUI in Pennsylvania

Mascot stopped for traffic infraction then charged with drunk driving.

James Sheep, the student cheerleader who dons the Nittany Lion costume for Penn State events, was arrested for driving under the influence in Pennsylvania last Saturday. Sheep was initially stopped by State College police around 3:15 in the morning for having too many people in his vehicle. In fact the passengers were oiled on top of each other, blocking the driver's view. Sheep submitted to field sobriety tests and was taken to a hospital to draw blood for a blood-alcohol test. He was later charged with PA DUI.

Sheep attends more than 300 events a year as the mascot. He earned the job in January 2007 by doing 50 one-armed push-ups. Sheep, who is a senior at Penn State, is required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average as part of a scholarship deal.

Some disciplinary action is expected be taken though the Office of Judicial Affairs has not said whether the DUI arrest will impact Sheep's ability to don the costume for Penn State's appearance at the Rose Bowl.

'The Nittany Lion' is not the first mascot to get into trouble. Stanford's 'Tree' was charged with public intoxication, Miami's 'Sebastian the Ibis' was arrested with an extinguisher in the stadium just before an attempt to extinguish the Florida State mascot's flaming spear, and Wisconsin's 'Bucky' was busted for not wearing pants while walking down the streets of Madison.

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LSU Student Dies with BAC .588

LSU Frat Dies With BAC of .588

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After receiving the following email message I decided to look further into the death of Benjamin Wynne, a college student at LSU during bid week with Sigma Alpha Epsilon. (Here are two press releases from Sigma Alpha Epsilon). First Press Release - 8/27 and Second Press Release - 8/28.

What follows is the email message from one of his brothers and articles from various newspapers and news services.

Ed
www.dui.com

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Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 20:46:02 -0400 (EDT)
To: edwardo@well.com
Subject: Drunkedness

To whom it may concern:

I am a member of a fraternity at Louisiana State University, and recently there was an alcohol related death to another fraternity member on pledge day. His BAC was .588. My question is how many beers were forced down this persons throat in order to reach this level. This is a serious question and I will look forward to your answer soon. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Curious

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Student Found Dead at LSU Frat Party

08/26 1605

BATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 26 (UPI S) -- An overnight fraternity party turned tragic (Tuesday) near the Louisiana State University campus. Paramedics summoned to the house found one student dead of cardiac arrest and four other party-goers so drunk they required hospital treatment.

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LSU Frat Pledge Dies of Alcohol Abuse

BATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Only days after Louisiana State University was named to the Top 10 Party School list, a 20-year-old fraternity pledge died from acute alcohol intoxication.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge Benjamin Wynne had a blood alcohol level of .588 percent -- well above the .10 percent level to be considered drunk -- when he was taken to Baton Rouge Medical Center early Tuesday morning. Authorities believe Wynne may have consumed 25 to 30 drinks in one hour during a binge drinking fest.

Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived at the SAE house shortly after midnight to find two dozen fraternity members and pledges in various stages of unconsciousness. Wynne and three others were hospitalized, including 21-year-old Donald Hunt of Mandeville who remains in guarded condition. Authorities say there was no evidence of drinking at the frat house, but they believe Wynne went to a private party and an LSU-area bar before his death.

A favorite college nightspot, Murphy's Bar, was selling "Three Wise Men" by the pitcher. The drink is a combination of Bacardi 151 rum, Jagermeister liqueur and Crown Royal whiskey.

The faternity, meanwhile, has been suspended by SAE fraternity headquarters while an investigation is completed. Students can live in the SAE house, but they may not conduct fraternity activities.

Copyright 1997 by United Press International.
All rights reserved. --- Copyright 1997

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Local student dies in LSU fraternity tragedy

By Chad A. Kirtland / The News Banner / August 26, 1997

A Louisiana State University student from the Mandeville area died early Tuesday morning in a Baton Rouge hospital after a fraternity celebration turned into a tragedy.

Benjamin Wynne, 20, was pronounced dead shortly after 1 a.m. at Baton Rouge General Medical Center. The cause of death had not been officially determined at press time, but alcohol abuse is believed to be responsible.

Emergency workers responded to a call at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house on the LSU campus at about midnight. According to LSU Chancellor William Jenkins, technicians from Baton Rouge Emergency Medical Service found about two dozen students ill or passed out.

Four students were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Wynne and Donald Hunt, 20, of Mandeville, were taken to Baton Rouge General. Wynne, a former Mandeville High School football standout, was pronounced dead shortly after 1 a.m.

Hunt was listed in critical, but guarded condition early Tuesday, but had been upgraded to "improving" by Tuesday afternoon.

Two other students were brought to Our Lady of the Lake hospital, but were discharged Tuesday morning.

"We are in the process of trying to figure out what happened, but the assumption is alcohol abuse," said LSU Dean of Students, Tom Risch. "We have confirmed that they were drinking heavily."

Results from Wynne's autopsy were not available at press time.

Monday was "Bid Day" for LSU fraternities, wherein fraternities bid for new pledges.

Risch said a celebration began at 5 p.m. Later in the day, fraternity members went off campus to continue the festivities.

The SAE brothers returned to the fraternity house around 9 p.m. Emergency medical crews were called around midnight when some brothers became concerned over Wynne's condition.

A representative of the fraternity had no comment on the incident Tuesday afternoon.

"It's a tragedy for us," said Chancellor Jenkins. "We are dealing with a terrible situation here on our campus."

Wynne was a transfer student from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

According to Mandeville High School Athletic Director Skip Curtis, Wynne was a star defensive player in high school and was a former All-District linebacker.

Jenkins said the university has a fairly strict alcohol abuse policy on campus. "The frustration is that once students leave the campus we have no control over their behavior," he added.

Jenkins said several agencies are investigating the incident, including the Baton Rouge Police Department, the Dean of Students and the fraternity.

"When we're in possession of all the facts, we will proceed from there," said Jenkins. "I suspect there will be repercussions (for the fraternity.)"

But he said the important thing now is to support those impacted by the loss. "We must support the family, the fraternity brothers and our entire campus community through the next few weeks as we recover from this tragedy."

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Sentry-News.
Copyright ©1997, Wick Communications, Inc.
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BATON ROUGE -- State alcohol control officials have announced they will begin to conduct sting operations around the state to catch violators of Louisiana alcohol laws. Enforcement officers will set up stings using students and other young people. They will not only target bars and convenience stores, but will conduct raids of areas where students are gathered to find underage drinkers. Both anyone who sells alcohol to a person under 21 or procures it for them and the underage drinker who obtains it can be fined and get up to six months in jail. The crackdown follows the alcohol related death this week of 20-year-old LSU student Ben Wynne.

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BATON ROUGE-- The Louisiana Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking has called for a candlelight vigil tonight outside of the closed Baton Rouge bar where drinking binge victim Ben Wynne partied with his friends Monday night. The group says it will hold an alcohol awareness vigil outside Murphy's bar where students had celebrated being chosen by fraternities. Early Tuesday, Wynne died of acute alcohol poisoning. The investigation into his death continues and the bar remains closed voluntarily. Officials with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, which had chosen Wynne on Monday to be a member, said they only recently had a national symposium of all S-A-E chapter presidents at which warnings went out about the dangers of binge drinking. Ben Wynne was buried yesterday in New Orleans.

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08/28 1154 UPI Louisiana Second News Briefs

= (UNDATED) - The American Medical Association says the alcohol-related death of a 20-year-old Louisiana State University student points up the need for new initiatives to address the problem of binge drinking on college campuses. The AMA is leading a national effort to change the environmental factors that encourage excessive drinking.

Meanwhile, new enforcement procedures around college campuses are expected to begin this week, with Louisiana getting national attention by the death of Ben Wynne of Mandeville. He died Tuesday from a round of fraternity drinking. Investigators say L-S-U's Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity held a private party at Murphy's bar before pledge Benjamin Wynne died.

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AMA aims to curb binge drinking

CHICAGO, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The American Medical Association says the alcohol-related death of a 20-year-old Louisiana State University student hammers home the need for initiatives to address the problem of binge drinking on college campuses. The AMA is leading a national effort to change the environmental factors that encourage excessive drinking.

A 1993 Harvard University survey says more than half the students in one-third of U.S. college campuses are binge drinkers. The AMA says, "This is not surprising given the barrage of alcohol advertising and promotions aimed at young people."

The AMA says that by the age of 18, the average teenager has seen more than 100,000 beer commercials. One survey shows 73 percent of nine to 11-year-olds recognized the Budweiser frog second only to Bugs Bunny.

LSU student Benjamin Wynne had a blood alcohol level of .588 percent -- well above the .10 percent level to be considered drunk -- when he was taken to Baton Rouge Medical Center, where he died Tuesday. Authorities believe Wynne may have consumed 25 to 30 drinks in one hour during a binge drinking fest.

The AMA is working with six U.S universities and their surrounding communities to curb binge drinking by changing norms, attitudes, policies and practices affecting drinking on and off campus. The program, "Matter of Degree," is funded by an $11 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ---

Copyright 1997 by United Press International.
All rights reserved. --- Copyright 1997

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UPI Louisiana First News Briefs

(BATON ROUGE) - The L-S-U Baton Rouge campus is in mourning today after a fraternity party turned tragic for a 20-year-old Mandeville youth. Students drinking at a favorite hangout were celebrating bid day, the day fraternities name the new members they've chosen. The group began to suffer the effects of the binge drinking and returned to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon House. Some people passed out and slept it off, but Benjamin Wynne died of alcohol-induced cardiac arrest or alcohol poisoning.

Paramedics summoned to the scene found Wynne and more than a dozen others passed out. Four people were transported to a hospital and one was admitted for observation. Doctors tried but were unable to save Wynne whose blood-alcohol was six times the legal limit.

Tags: College Drinking |  DUI News

MSU Frats Call for Alcohol Ban

Is The Future Dry for Michigan State University?

BY AUTUMN J. KUCKA
Free Press Special Writer

EAST LANSING -- Three MSU fraternities aim to be alcohol-free by the year 2000. And some dare suggest the campus itself -- known for party guzzling -- might someday ban alcohol from dorms and student hangouts.

"If we were to eventually go to substance-free housing, or dry houses, I can see the university using us as a prime example," said Kelli Milliken, president of MSU's Panhellenic Council of fraternities and sororities.

Going dry won't happen overnight, but alcohol will be a topic this weekend as some of MSU's 3,000 fraternity and sorority members meet with national representatives and school officials to ponder ways to dispel the image of greek houses as drunken party dens.

One frat house, Phi Gamma Delta, is already dry. Two others -- Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Nu -- have been asked by their national organizations to dry out by 2000.

In recent months, fraternities and sororities nationwide have received much attention for drinking exploits.

A 1996 MSU report found that its students drink more than the national average.

Tags: College Drinking |  DUI News

September Deadly Month for College Students

Posted 10/7/2004 12:00 AM Updated 10/6/2004 10:08 PM

Friends remember Samantha Spady, who was found dead at a Colorado State fraternity house in September. By Evan Semon, The Rocky Mountain News/AP

Five Binge-Drinking Deaths 'Just the Tip of the Iceberg'

By Robert Davis

USA TODAY

September has been deadly for binge-drinking college students

Five underclassmen in four states appear to have drunk themselves to death, police say, after friends sent their pals to bed assuming that they would "sleep it off."

Some college presidents are promising to crack down on underage drinking — four of the students were too young to drink legally. Others have shut down fraternity houses where bodies were found.

But one expert calls those moves too little, too late. "It's locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen," says Henry Wechsler, a Harvard University researcher who has studied campus drinking. He says schools with weak enforcement of drinking rules put students at greater risk.

"The schools that have the greatest problems take the easiest solutions," he says. "They have educational programs and re-motivation programs. But they don't try to change the system. These deaths are just the tip of the iceberg."

In some college towns, drink specials at bars and loose enforcement of liquor laws make it easier and cheaper for students to get drunk than to go to a movie, Wechsler says. The result, research suggests, is 1,400 student deaths a year, including alcohol-related falls and car crashes.

"Some schools enforce," he says. "But others have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. It's a wink."

Others say schools can't stop a young adult who chooses to drink.

Drinking problems start in high school and are simply let loose in college, says the American Council on Education, a Washington-based advocacy group that represents about 1,800 colleges and universities.

"Shouldn't colleges crack down on alcohol consumption?" asks Sheldon Steinbach, ACE's general counsel. "They could. But you would be turning the college into a quasi-police state and impairing their ability to grow up."

All of these students, last seen drinking heavily, were found dead:

• Samantha Spady, 19, of Beatrice, Neb., was found Sept. 5 in a Colorado State University fraternity.
• Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr., 18, of Dallas, was found Sept. 17 at a University of Colorado fraternity house.
• Thomas Ryan Hauser, 23, a junior from Springfield, Va., was found Sept. 19 in his apartment near Virginia Tech.
• Blae Adam Hammontree, 19, of Medford, Okla., was found Sept. 30 in a fraternity house at the University of Oklahoma.
• Bradley Barrett Kemp, 20, of McGehee, Ark., was found at home Saturday at the University of Arkansas.

The official cause of death has not been determined for the three most recent cases.

Colleges with large Greek systems and big, highly competitive intercollegiate athletic programs have the highest rates of student binge drinking, Wechsler says. "There is a culture of drinking on campuses that must change," says Patty Spady, Samantha's mother. "People put her in a room thinking that she would sleep it off."

But chug too many drinks — Samantha is said to have consumed up to 40 beers or shots of vodka the night she died — and the blood alcohol level continues to rise even after a person passes out. Alcohol kills when the person is too intoxicated to maintain his own airway. He then suffocates on his own vomit or on an otherwise harmless obstruction, such as a pillow.

"These kids don't know this," says Spady, who set up a foundation (SAMspadyfoundation.org) to find ways to prevent deaths on campus. "Drunks cannot take care of drunks." Spady urges students to "stay sober to take care of your friends."

Tags: College Drinking |  DUI News

Do Colleges Tolerate Binging?

Colleges Tolerate Binging

An "Animal House" mentality still prevalis on may college campuses, and hinders prevention efforts aimed at binge drinking. UPI reported April 21. A study by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Harvard School of Public Health found that colleges are more tolerant of binge drinking than the rest of society and sometimes hae traditions that encourage heavy drinking. Researchers also found that increasing federal excise taxes on alcohol would not do much to decrease drinking among college students, but that a crackdown on drunk driving probably would. More than 16,000 college students participated in the study.

Tags: College Drinking |  Studies

Sigma Nu Bans Alcohol

Zero Bottles of Beer - Editorial SF Chronicle

UC BERKELEY'S Sigma Nu fraternity deserves special commendation for trying to buck a long but ignoble Greek society tradition in which brothers regularly and proudly drink themselves under the table.

Under a new policy insisted upon by the group's alumni board, the fraternity will ban alcohol -- as well as tobacco and illegal drugs -- on its property.

While the prohibitions against all three substances are welcome, it is booze that is causing the most problems on campuses. And the very real danger of heavy drinking among college kids is too often shrugged off despite abundant evidence of the harm it does. Four billion cans of beer consumed on college campuses each year tell their own story.

For years, college presidents across the nation have ranked alcohol abuse as their greatest and most stubborn problem. Binge drinking -- downing at least five alcoholic drinks in one sitting -- has been tried by more than four in 10 college students, according to a recent Harvard College study.

Among those in the Greek system, the numbers of bingers is astronomical. Eighty-six percent of fraternity residents and 80 percent of sorority sisters said in the survey they had been on a recent binge.

Such binges can and do lead to disaster. They contribute to fatal car accidents, homicides, suicides and drownings.

Heavy boozing is also frequently linked to date rapes and pranks that start out as harmless fun but end up as deadly crimes. According to a report published in the Journal of American College Health, one in every four college student deaths is associated with alcohol. The effort to prevent such dire consequences makes the Sigma Nu brothers' action all the more laudable. It should be a signal to other fraternities and sororities to follow suit and limit, if not ban, a beverage that beguiles the innocent with false promises.

It should be respectable -- and even cool -- to openly resist an unhealthy culture that encourages drinking at its nauseating, obnoxious worst.

Tags: California DUI |  College Drinking