SMU Pledge in Coma After Suspected Hazing

Centre Daily ^ | 11/17/03

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

DALLAS - A Southern Methodist University student fell into a coma after ingesting a large amount of water in what school officials suspect was a fraternity hazing incident.

Braylon Curry, a junior pledge at Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, was admitted to Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas early Saturday and fell into a coma. He remained in critical condition Monday morning.

Doctors told law officers he is suffering from pulmonary edema, a condition where water enters the lungs, and hyponatremia, a sodium imbalance brought on by excess fluid consumption.

Curry, 21, spent Friday night engaged in what appeared to be a water-drinking competition at an off-campus apartment, SMU officials said.

Some of Curry's friends, who accompanied him to the hospital, told police the activity was not hazing, said Paul Morris, spokesman for the Dallas Police Department.

The fraternity was suspended pending a police investigation, said Jim Caswell, SMU vice president for student affairs. If the investigation proves the activity was hazing, he said, it is "very likely" the suspension will be permanent.

"We want those men to know they must cease and desist everything they're doing," he said.

An educational anti-hazing event was held on campus Friday before the incident and SMU had published a half-page advertisement of Texas' hazing law in the campus newspaper that day, said Caswell. The ads are printed once a semester, he said.

Hazing is defined as a potentially harmful activity someone must participate in to get into an organization, officials said.

"We're very clear, very vocal about our hazing policy. It's state law," Caswell said. "For any student here, you've got to think, 'How could they miss this?'"

[ClintonBeGone]

Black & Old Gold. Minority fraternity. I wonder how that's going to play out in the punishment.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

A water drinking competition? Damn, times have changed in the Greek world with the advent of prohibition on booze at Greek houses and parties.

Maybe if they just brought back beer and bimboes, incidents like this would be less frequent.

[Lijahsbubbe]

That sounds painful.

[sarasota]

Good grief, what continues to be the point about hazing? Make it illegal.

[CSM]

I say it's time for zero tolerance policies against hazing! The more vague the policy the better!

[AppyPappy]

We did it too. No one knew it was harmful.

[Petronski]

A purposely-vague zero-tolerance policy?

Dean Wormer, is that you? Is Neidermeyer there too? He's a sneaky little shit.

[Joe Marine 76]

There are three classes of people in this world: There are those who learn from their own mistakes, these are the "Wise"; there are those who learn from the mistakes of others, these are the "Happy"; then, there are those who learn from neither their own mistakes nor the mistakes of others, these are the "Fools."

These "Fools" continue to sign up and avail themselves for the hazing at fraternities and sororities!

[ClintonBeGone]

We did it too. No one knew it was harmful.

LOL Let me guess, you got your degree and are now a rocket scientist?

[luckystarmom]

My daughter had hyponatremia when she was 6 weeks old. We got bad medical advice from he pediatrician to give her glucose water when she was vomiting.

Anyway, she only survived because her skull had not fused. This allowed her brain to swell, and she did not die. She did suffer brain damage because the hospital brought the sodium up too fast.

This poor kid will probably die or have severe brain damage.

What were these kids thinking.

[BlackRazor]

These "Fools" continue to sign up and avail themselves for the hazing at fraternities and sororities!

Yes, but by your own definition, it sounds like the only way to become "wise" is to first be a "fool"! Maybe they weren't content just to be "happy". :)

[MEGoody]

"Maybe if they just brought back beer and bimboes, incidents like this would be less frequent."

Yeah, they'd only have kids dying of alcohol poisoning and getting STDs.

[CSM]

Sorry, I forgot the sarcasm tag. I thought it would be self evident, my mistake!