Every year, parents reluctantly send their teenagers off to
college, worried for their safety and their hearts full of promise for their
child. In their day, pranks may have
involved stealing a mascot, or embarrassing themselves in front of the opposite
sex. But it appears, pranks today also
involve potentially deadly hazing practices. Do these pranks put your teenager’slife at risk?
Recently, Fresno State’s Theta Chi fraternity lost an 18
year old freshman to hazing involving extreme amounts of alcohol. Hopeful freshmen pledges were locked in a
room with bottles of alcohol- tequila, rum, and vodka, and told they must
finish all of the bottles. One 18 year
old, Phillip Dhanens of Bakersfield, did not make it. Of the 15 boys locked in the room, Dhanens
did not make it.
According to the police search warrant, the teen consumed
excess amounts of alcohol given to him by his older fraternity brothers. After drinking heavily, he became agitated
before passing out. In response to his
condition, fraternity brothers carried him to a designated “Drunk Room” where “Sober
Brothers” observed him. Three hours
later, Dhanens stopped breathing. He
passed away due to swelling of the brain caused by alcohol poisoning. His blood
alcohol level was .36, or over 4 times the legal limit. Astonishingly, this is
the second death in the past 6 years on Fresno State’s campus due to alcohol
related hazing.
Parents have little to no control over their teenagers when
they send them off to college. And
naturally, teenagers will test the boundaries and explore their newfound
freedom. But while parents may expect
poor grades or potential legal consequences as a result of poor decision making
skills, they do not usually expect their child to die.
The fraternity house broke the law in multiple ways- not
only giving alcohol to an underage teenager, but their coercion killed this
child. Issues like this often bring up
many questions. Where was the school’s
oversight into its fraternity system’s activities? Were there anti-hazing practices
in place? Is there a system to report such activities and coercive behavior? At
what point does the school act to ensure your child’s safety?
If you have lost your child to potentially deadly hazing
practices, you may want to consult an attorney regarding a wrongful deathclaim. No one can bring your child back,
but you may inspire change in a broken university system.
