Another Colorado student found dead in a fraternity house...

[DeltAlum]

Since University of Colorado counselors have said that alcohol may have been a part of this story, I'm going to open a thread here.

Here's a link to the Rocky Mountain News coverage:

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/lo...191382,00.html

I hope that the writing on his face doesn't turn out to be some kind of hazing. Anyone else ever heard of this?

[exlurker]

Another article on Lynn Bailey, Jr.'s death ALSO mentions the citation of 18 CU Tekes for underage drinking on a charter bus.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...79/detail.html

Party school or not, some of the quotes that reporters are able to get are . . . interesting . . . although that may not be exactly the word I'm looking for. The story mentioned above quotes a student as saying of the CU Chi Psis, "They're definitely rowdy guys, but who isn't?"

Yikes. Still, that probably doesn't come across as bad in print as the "Dude, one of the pledges died" quote that has a good chance of becoming infamous.

[hoosier]

About four years ago,there were several alcohol deaths in Seept., and then none for several years.

I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two more, if we're in that cycle.

When I saw this story, my immediate thought was "Let's just ban alcohol".

Several big GLOs made big announcements a few years ago about alcohol free housing - how are they doing?

[LXAAlum]

From Denver's Channel 9 News website:

CU suspends all Greek events pending investigation into student's death
Paola Farer (Web Producer)
Created: 9/19/2004 10:54 AM MDT - Updated: 9/19/2004 5:48 PM MDT

BOULDER - All social activities at University of Colorado fraternities have been suspended after the death of an 18-year-old pledge, the Inter-Fraternity Council said.

The body of Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr. of Dallas, Texas, was found at the Chi Psi fraternity house on Friday morning. Some members said there had been a party at the house the night before.

A formal cause of death hasn't been announced yet. A preliminary report from the coroner's office may be released Monday.

Flowers were left on the steps of the Chi Psi house over the weekend.

"Gordie's death will be a life altering occurrence for each of the young men in Chi Psi and it's extended family," said Sam Bessey,Chi Psi Fraternity Executive Director.

CU students received an e-mail in which Chancellor Richard Byyny writes, "We are of course concerned about any possibility of the involvement of alcohol in the this tragedy."

The fraternity's national organization suspended its Boulder chapter pending the outcome of the investigation. Members will still be allowed to live at the house, however some have opted to move in with friends or into dorms on campus.

Bailey, who went by "Gordie," was majoring in business and was a freshman member of the university lacrosse team. By all accounts, he was happy in Colorado where he loved the outdoor life and had already made plenty of friends.

His family released a statement Saturday. "We are heartbroken over the tragic loss of our son and brother, L. Gordon (Gordie) Bailey," it said. "Gordie's life has been short but he lived it fully with humor, affection, optimism, integrity and honor.

"Our tragedy is widely shared by all who have had the privilege of knowing him."

There will be a memorial service for Bailey at the Chi Psi house Sunday at 9 p.m.

Bailey's aunt, Lynn Feldman, told The Denver Post, that her nephew was a great student and athlete. She said he was not a big drinker and wouldn't cave into peer pressure.

The Post also talked to John Reese, theater director at the Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, where Bailey went to prep school. He said Bailey was captain of the football team at Deerfield and was active in theater, with a lead role in The Crucible last year.

[exlurker]

The Denver Post reports that the 911 tape in Bailey's death has been released. The caller is quoted as saying "He drank way too much." The caller also says he wasn't breathing.


See

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,...415616,00.html

There's also a reference to another newspaper's report that police removed kegs from the house on Friday.

[hoosier]

Originally posted by DeltAlum

I hope that the writing on his face doesn't turn out to be some kind of hazing. Anyone else ever heard of this?

It seems to be common - maybe more in the dorms - for people to use magic markers to write and draw on the faces and bodies of passed-out drunks. There are a lot of pictures of this on the "collegehumor.com" site (not sure about the url)

I don't know how long it takes, and how many showers, to get the marker ink off.

It is proof, in the CU case, that others knew the kid was passed out.

[33girl]

Originally posted by hoosier
It seems to be common - maybe more in the dorms - for people to use magic markers to write and draw on the faces and bodies of passed-out drunks. There are a lot of pictures of this on the "collegehumor.com" site (not sure about the url)

Agreed. I don't think this is something that's exclusively Greek.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by exlurker
The Denver Post reports that the 911 tape in Bailey's death has been released. The caller is quoted as saying "He drank way too much." The caller also says he wasn't breathing.


See

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,...415616,00.html

There's also a reference to another newspaper's report that police removed kegs from the house on Friday.

Heard this 911 call on local TV last night. It was fairly strange because the caller was very calm, and seemed somewhat confused over whether the victim was breathing when questioned by the 911 operator. She had to ask two or three times if he was breathing. The final answer was no.

It seemed like they thought he just wouldn't wake up.

[IvySpice]

I hope that the writing on his face doesn't turn out to be some kind of hazing. Anyone else ever heard of this?

I doubt it's hazing. This is a classic drunken-idiot thing to do, and I've heard about it in a number of contexts, usually related to high school. It's just supposed to make him feel silly for passing out when he crawls to the bathroom mirror in the morning.

Something similar happened on an episode of "The Sopranos" this year -- one spoiled rich kid passed out during a party, and his "friends" shaved his eyebrows off.

[DeltAlum]

I'm surprized I've never heard of it. I've heard of just about everything else.

As an aside, many years ago a collegue of mine was having a bachelor party the night before his marriage to the immediate past national beauty queen.

He was reportedly drinking with a bunch of Narcs, got drunk, passed out and they proceded to shave a much more sensitive area of his body and leave him naked in her front yard.

The rest was pretty ugly and the wedding almost didn't happen.

Moderation!

Edited to protect the identity of the former couple.

[AGDee]

I had seen it on The Sopranos...

I swear I remember someone saying they had married a past national beauty queen.. if I could only remember who...

Dee

[Tom Earp]

Tom, from one Tom to another, even I have heard of this. Yes, it is infantile to be sure and may hang their butts if proven.

"All Greek Events are being suspended"!

Over Kill and while it sounds like CU is a stand up U. it seems that slowly but surely, Greeks and their Houses (Buildings get gobbled up).

I have seen pictures of the Ex LXA house at CU and it is disgraceful for a Large Fraternity to have a house that looked so dismal compared to so many others.

To my knowledge, LXA is still no longer at CU!

Maybe it is better in the long run from the sounds of it.

[LXAAlum]

Originally posted by AGDee

I swear I remember someone saying they had married a past national beauty queen.. if I could only remember who...

Dee

That would be ME!

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by LXAAlum
That would be ME!

Well, at least the beauty queen part. But I had someone else in mind from many years ago!

ETA AGDEE, you'll never guess who -- too many pageants, too many years, too many DA collegues.

(Mrs. DA is a former Toledo Area Student Council Queen -- Pretty impressive, huh?)

[exlurker]

A news report today (Sept. 22) says that guys in the fraternity wrote "insulting" words on Bailey's face, but smudged them before the paramedics and police arrived.

The report also alludes to heavy drinking. Apparently there'll be an official news conference later today.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...96/detail.html