Colin James Boyarski, 19, at Kenyon College.

I've been holding off on this.   My deep and sincere condolences to the Boyarski family and Colin's friends in and at Kenyon.

Colin's death is alcohol-related.  He may have died of alcohol poisoning, of aspirating vomitus, or of hypothermia ("exposure"). after becoming unconcious ("passing out").   His death was not related to any fraternity activity.

Kenyon College Announcement:

April 3, 2005 Campus Announcement: Kenyon Mourns Death of Student

Kenyon regrets to announce the death of Colin James Boyarski, 19, a first-year student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Colin’s body was found shortly before 9:00 a.m. today [April 3, 2005]  in a field off Duff Street in Gambier. The cause of death remains undetermined, although there was no evidence of foul play, according to Knox County Sheriff David B. Barber. Colin apparently died during the night or early morning.

The body was discovered by a College maintenance worker, who immediately informed the Office of Security and Safety. The security office sent an officer to the site and contacted both the College Township rescue squad and the county sheriff’s office. College Physician Tracy W. Schermer was also informed and rushed to the scene. Knox County Coroner Jeffery Bowers pronounced Colin dead at the scene and ordered that his body be taken to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office in Columbus for an autopsy.

Both Schermer and Kenyon President S. Georgia Nugent called Colin’s parents, Daniel and Libby Boyarski, to express their condolences and offer assistance in dealing with the tragedy. The student affairs staff has met with resident advisors to discuss ways of helping students cope with this loss.

Meanwhile, to share information and help the campus community cope, the student affairs staff has scheduled a meeting for 8:30 p.m. this evening in Peirce Lounge. Counselors will be available.

The College is cooperating with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in investigating Colin’s death. Barber encourages anyone with information about Colin’s activities on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, or with any other potentially relevant information, to contact Detective Gary Rohler at 740-393-6800.

Colin was a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh. He had been a member of the National Honor Society and had been involved in the Model U.N., the environmental club, the ski club, and a student group devoted to issues of hunger.

Kenyon will provide further information as it becomes available.

The authorities are reserving judgment until the facts are in, which is difficult to hear but is the best way to go.

Investigation Update

GAMBIER, Ohio (April 5, 2005)– The Knox County sheriff believes that alcohol played a role in the death of Colin Boyarski, the Kenyon first-year student whose body was found Sunday morning. The results of toxicology tests, which would include Colin's blood-alcohol level, will not be available for perhaps another four weeks. But Sheriff David B. Barber, who has interviewed a number of Kenyon students, has reported that Colin attended an off-campus party Saturday night, April 2, and was seen drinking.

An autopsy performed yesterday by the Franklin County coroner's office in Columbus showed no evidence of trauma, supporting Barber's initial assessment that foul play was not involved in Colin's death. Authorities have not released any information about whether the autopsy pointed to hypothermia as a cause of death. Among the questions being pursued by the sheriff's office is whether Colin may have passed out under the influence of alcohol and died of hypothermia. Temperatures on Saturday night were below 40 degrees, with wind-chill levels in the low 30s and high 20s. A College maintenance worker discovered Colin's body shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Sunday in a field near Duff Street in Gambier.

Kenyon continues to cooperate with the investigation that the sheriff's office is conducting. "We will be steadfast in our commitment to understand and address what led to Colin's death," College President S. Georgia Nugent wrote yesterday in a letter to all Kenyon parents and alumni.

"With the sheriff's confirmation that alcohol was a factor, we at Kenyon College must be unflinching in confronting this fact and what it means for our community," Nugent says. "We have strong programs of education, intervention, and counseling with regard to alcohol and substance abuse with a proven record of success. But we were not able to prevent Colin's death. We must ask ourselves why. And we must recommit ourselves to ensuring that such a tragedy does not strike our campus again. In the coming days and weeks, I will be seeking to work with students, faculty, parents, and alumni in trying, as a community, to seek answers and, ultimately, to make Kenyon a better place as a result."

Nugent has been in contact with Colin's parents, Daniel and Libby Boyarski of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as have College Physician Tracy Schermer and Director of Counseling Services Patrick Gilligan. "We will continue to do everything we can to help the Boyarski family in this difficult time," Nugent says.

The family has not yet finalized plans for a memorial service. Kenyon officials are discussing plans for a campus service as well. Meanwhile, counselors and other members of the student affairs staff have been helping students cope with this loss, paying particular attention to those who were close to Colin.

The Board of Campus Ministries has also been available to provide help. Further assistance has been provided by resident advisors, the upperclass students who help first-year students in their residence halls, and community advisors, who play a similar role for other students. Several campus religious groups have invited members of the College community to prayer sessions, and a number of other student organizations have discussed ways to offer solace, both locally and to Colin's family.

Colin, who had recently turned 19, was interested in philosophy as well as in literature and creative writing, according to professors who knew him. "He was a young man who cared about social justice and about people, especially those who are worse off," says Assistant Professor of Philosophy Yang Xiao, who had Colin in two courses, Practical Issues in Ethics during the fall semester and Early Chinese Philosophy this semester. In the ethics course, Xiao notes, Colin wrote a research paper about inequality in public schools, based in part on his experience last summer tutoring elementary school students in Pittsburgh. "He wrote beautifully," says Xiao, adding that Colin developed arguments with impressive clarity. "I could imagine him becoming a lawyer and helping people, doing something about the causes he cared about."

Colin was an "easy-going, happy person," says Xiao, who sometimes played soccer with Colin as part of an informal club. Colin was soft-spoken in class but held deep convictions about the importance of family, he adds.

Delta Phi news log on Colin Boyarski's death.

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In all cases, my deepest condolences to family and friends.

Underage Alcohol Deaths 2004
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2005
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2006

Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing, the heartbeat and the gag reflex that prevents choking. A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these functions. After the victim stops drinking, the heart keeps beating, and the alcohol in the stomach continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the system. The victim may experience the following:

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, unable to rouse the person
• No response to pinching the skin
• Vomiting while sleeping or unresponsive
• Seizures
• Slowed breathing  (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness

Alcohol Poisoning Requires Immediate Medical Attention

Alcohol Poisoning Cannot Be Reversed By:

• Drinking black coffee
• Taking a cold bath or shower
• Walking it off

The victim must have immediate medical attention.
Call 911, stay with the victim to prevent him choking on vomit, and tell emergency personnel how much alcohol the victim drank.

These Children Died of Alcohol Overdose, So Their Parents Started Foundations:

Taylor Webster's memorial foundation.  Taylor died of alcohol  poisoning at age 19-- Now his family and friends are working  to get the message out, telling their stories and providing  information on alcohol poisoning and the signs and symtoms  of alcohol poisoning in hopes that lives will be saved.

Bradley McCue's memorial foundation.  On November 5, 1998  Bradley turned 21. . He celebrated  his birthday in a way that has become increasingly popular, drinking "his  age in shots". That amount of alcohol was lethal and he died  that night of alcohol poisoning.

Samantha Spady's memorial foundation. A 19-year old student at Colorado State University, Spady died of alcohol poisoning on September 5, 2004, "an unintentional tragedy."  The Spadys say the SAM [Student Alcohol Management] Spady Foundation will develop peer-to-peer counseling and other services meant to reduce the risk of alcohol abuse.

Gordie Bailey's memorial foundation Mission: to provide today’s youth with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, and through education and promotion of self worth prevent alcohol poisoning, binge drinking and hazing. 

Kimberly Ostien's memorial foundation: "With binge drinking on the rise, we feel it necessary to get the message out on the danger of alcohol, especially excessive alcohol consumed in a short period of time.  Students are educated on drugs and alcohol but they will continue to experiment no matter what.  We want to educate on what to do when a friend falls down or passes out from drinking.  Often we want to put that person to bed to sleep it off and that is when the trouble can begin."  The card lists the information, above.