Update: More details about Mr. Phoummarath's death.
Mr. Phoummarath was a freshman at the University of Texas. He was a new member at Lambda Phi Epsilon , the nation's only national Asian interest fraternity. Evidently he celebrated his status by drinking to excess.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Phanta "Jack" Phoummarath was identified by police as the student found dead Saturday afternoon at the Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity house in West Campus. The 18-year-old business freshman's death has been ruled an alcohol overdose by the Austin Police Department, though the medical examiner's report is pending.
Phoummarath, an LPE pledge, was celebrating his acceptance into the fraternity as a full-fledged brother on Friday. APD officials said they are still conducting an investigation, and the filing of charges will depend on the cause of death as determined by the medical examiner, which may be released in the next several weeks.
John Phoummarath, Jack's 31-year-old brother, said his family has not yet decided whether or not to press charges against the fraternity.
"We want to let the police do their work and get to the bottom of this," John said. "We don't know if there are any charges to press yet."
John, who believes the death was probably alcohol-related, said his brother was brought to the medical examiner's office covered in crude, obscene marker drawings. The drawings were wiped off at the medical examiner's office, John said.
"Things like that happen all the time, but this was different," said Tiffany Phoummarath, John's 26-year-old wife and Jack's sister-in-law. "If he had woken up with marker all over his face, then ha, ha, ha, funny joke. But the fact that he had that on him when he passed was disrespectful and dishonorable."
Actually, after all the publicity about alcohol poisoning, and the risk posed by fraternities, it is dishonorable that Mr Phoummaranth died at all. There's even been an article in Dear Abby on binge drinking.
Update: Mr. Phoummaranth's death was the result of actions of his fraternity:
Teresa Graham Brett, dean of students, said members of Lambda Phi Epsilon told university investigators that new members were expected to consume large amounts of liquor and were required to shave their heads when they were presented to existing members.
Phoummarath, an 18-year-old Houston student, was found dead at the fraternity house Dec. 10. His family said he had attended a party for new members the night before his body was found.
Ted Phoummarath, Jack's oldest brother, told the Houston Chronicle that Jack had shaved his head as part of the initiation. He also said his brother's body had markings that apparently were drawn on him at the fraternity after he passed out at the party.
Lambda Phi Epsilon's status as a registered student organization has been canceled until December 2011 because of hazing, Brett said.
Individual members of the fraternity, which is not affiliated with the university's Greek system, could face disciplinary action ranging from warning probation to permanent expulsion, she added.
"We will continue to educate organizations and individuals about hazing and will continue to penalize both groups and individuals for any violations," Brett said.
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.
BINGE DRINKING PROVES DEADLY TO MORE THAN ONE YOUNG ADULT
DEAR ABBY: I'm writing regarding "Worried Mom" from Montana, who is frightened about her children drinking "21 shots" on their 21st birthday. She is rightfully concerned about this so-called "rite of passage." We lost our daughter, Kim, to binge drinking two years ago on Nov. 25. She consumed between 22 and 24 shots in a four-hour period and died in her dorm room. She was only 18. Did she know the danger she put herself in? No.We now have a Web site that lists the signs of alcohol poisoning and what to do. The URL is www.kimsawareness.net.
To lose a child over a senseless mistake causes pain that never goes away. Young adults must realize that if they indulge in any kind of binge drinking, they could never see tomorrow. -- MOTHER WHO'S BEEN THERE, UPPER DARBY, PA.
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. (1) to educate the public about alcohol
poisoning; (2) to identify steps parents and students can take to
prevent such tragedies; (3) eradicate fraternity hazing in any form.
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.
I knew this young man. I met him while he was still at MacArthur. Freshman year a friend and I were going to do tennis (ended up leaving the class) but we saw him and called him "muscle-shirt guy." We didn't know his name, but he looked like a nice guy. I met him when I was a sophomore I believe, and we kinda talked but just associatively. It happened the following year. He was really funny and sweet, and when I found out what happened... I was crying... At his funeral, I saw many seniors from the previous year with him, and they were there with each other, from his school. Needless to say it wasn't a happy reunion. I couldn't say anything to them, and I had to go to work soon, unfortunately. So I didn't even stay. I couldn't find myself to stay.
Posted by: Karen Espinoza | Thursday, November 02, 2006 at 02:53 PM
Update on Jack's case:
http://www.statesman.com/
Suspended UT fraternity and three leaders indicted
Indictments come a year after alcohol-related death of pledge at off-campus house.
By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
A Travis County grand jury today issued multiple indictments against a suspended University of Texas fraternity and three of its leaders after a yearlong investigation into the alcohol-related death of 18-year-old Houston pledge Phanta "Jack" Phoummarath.
President Benny Chan was indicted on seven counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor and 22 counts of hazing; pledge captain Andrew Nguyen was indicted on seven counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor and 28 counts of hazing; and Camal Pulukuri was indicted for 14 counts of hazing.
Travis County Attorney David Escamilla said the leaders showed a "complete disregard for safety" over a several-month period.
"It was a shock to us to find the activity that the leaders in this organization committed," Escamilla said. "What we learned is that hazing is still alive and pervasive, and there is a lack of concern about the consequences that can follow."
Attorneys for Chan, Nguyen and Pulukuri could not be immediately reached for comment.
The fraternity,Lambda Phi Epsilon, was charged with five counts of hazing. Prosecutors will seek fines against the group, which had anan off-campus fraternity house in the West Campus area.
A five-page probable cause affidavit describes months of hazing, in which pledges were expected to drink large amounts of alcohol and water. The document also describes the Dec. 9, 2005, "crossover night," during which pledges were "encouraged by actives" to drink bottles of rum, vodka and whiskey.
Phoummarath was taken upstairs by an older pledge around 12:30 a.m. and passed out on a mattress, the affidavit said.
The indictments come a year and three days after Phoummarath, an 18-year-old freshman, was found dead about 2 p.m. on Dec. 10. He was later found to have an alcohol level in his urine of 0.5. Medical examiners have said that his blood alcohol level was slightly less. The legal blood alcohol limit for driving in Texas is 0.08.
During the investigation, pledges met to manufacture an official version of the truth about the pledge process, according to the affidavit, which read: "They agreed that they would lie to investigators by omitting all mentions of hazing."
In a rare move, grand jurors included a letter with their indictments.
"We the members of the 403rd grand jury recommend that the court system impose serious penalties for the indictments of hazing and the other illegal actives that occurred within the fraternity," said the grand jurors, who serve anonymously. "By dealing with these crimes with the highest punishment allowable by law, perhaps these traditions can be changed enough to make young people aware of the dangers. . . . The death of Phanta 'Jack' Phoummarath cannot be forgotten or swept under the rug."
Escamilla said the investigation — jointly conducted by Austin police, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and the Travis County district and county attorney offices — is ongoing.
Weeks after the death, UT officials suspended Lambda Phi Epsilon's status as a student organization until 2011 and said they had found evidence of hazing.
The university investigation said pledges were expected to wear certain types of clothing, shave their heads and clean up after active members. They also were subject to paddling and lineup interrogations.
In January, Phoummarath's family sued the fraternity and numerous members seeking unspecified damages.
According to the suit, guests at the December fraternity party brought liquor and pressured pledges to drink it. It described how Phoummarath drank until he passed out and how guests and fellow pledges used a permanent marker and began writing vulgar graffiti on his body.
Alcohol-related deaths have struck UT's fraternities and spirit groups before.
In 1995, 19-year-old UT student Gabe Higgins drowned in the Colorado River after drinking during an initiation rite with the Texas Cowboys, a campus spirit group that was disbanded for five years after the incident.
Three years later, 23-year-old business student Jack Ivey Jr. died of alcohol poisoning after a drinking contest with Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity members. An autopsy showed his blood alcohol level was 0.4 — five times the legal limit for driving.
[email protected]; 445-3605
Posted by: Emily Graves | Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 01:14 PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4411723.html:
Emphasis added:
Posted by: Liz | Friday, December 22, 2006 at 02:30 PM
More updates
courtTV
Scribbling on passed-out friends seems to be a part of the binge drinking experience.
Gordie Bailey was also scribbled on:
More Details on Gordie's Death
Seriously, if you draw on a friend and the friend doesn't rouse, call 911.
Posted by: Liz Ditz | Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 12:17 PM