Texas SAE saves swimmer's life

[bowsandtoes]

http://media.www.dailytexanonline.co...-3271704.shtml

A UT student walked away a hero after a frightening start to spring break.

History senior David Sawyer was part of a group of 53 UT students spending spring break in Destin, Florida.

Sawyer and his friends were talking on the beach to a group of University of Georgia students on March 9 when they noticed that someone had floated facedown to the surface of the water.

University of Georgia student broke his neck when he dived into the water just moments before.

The student's friends initially thought he was joking when he was lying in the chilly water, history senior Martin Newman said.

Sawyer said he helped bring the student to shore and administered CPR.

"All of a sudden David Sawyer was dragging his body out of the water and laid him on the sand and everyone was crowding around," psychology senior Stephanie George said.

Sawyer said that after one or two minutes, the student spit up water and began breathing.

"He looked absolutely lifeless," Newman said.

He said a crowd of about 100 people had gathered around before an ambulance arrived about five minutes later.

"We were all just so scared," George said. "[It was] just very surreal."

George said bystanders thought the student would not make it.

Sawyer later went to a Pensacola hospital to visit the student after he had neck surgery.

"Thankfully he's going to be OK," Sawyer said.

In the spring of 2007, Sawyer had to become CPR certified when he worked at the Texas Capitol as an assistant sergeant of arms for the Senate. He said it is important for people to learn CPR so they can be prepared for emergencies.

Public relations and Plan II Honors senior Kimberly Heine said that though people were calling him a hero, Sawyer took it all in stride.

I'm sure if he'd been the one to drown the paper would have made sure to included that he was an SAE. The DailyTexan hates greek life.

Anyway, he deserves all the praise in the world. At a time when the stereotype of us college kids is wild party-animals, it's great to see someone prove that we're responsible members of society with the courage to act when called upon.

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

it's great to see someone prove that we're responsible members of society with the courage to act when called upon.

David Sawyer deserves great praise. We, as Greeks, didn't do anything.

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

David Sawyer deserves great praise. We, as Greeks, didn't do anything.

Yes, that is why either Greek or not try to help people as we should! I hope!

I hope you are being sarcastic?

[Leslie Anne]

No, I'm not being sarcastic.

If you pat yourself on the back for something good that an individual (who happens to be a member of a fraternity) did, then you have to take the blame for the stupid things another individual in a fraternity does. I'm not willing to do that.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

David Sawyer deserves great praise. We, as Greeks, didn't do anything.

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

No, I'm not being sarcastic.

If you pat yourself on the back for something good that an individual (who happens to be a member of a fraternity) did, then you have to take the blame for the stupid things another individual in a fraternity does. I'm not willing to do that.

I believe what the others are saying is yes, my Brother did the right and only thing he could do which was try to save a persons life.

However, as we have seen all too many times, a Greek is ID'ed as a Greek only when the situation is bad (ie, just how many times does a situation or person in a dorm get ID'ed)

Here, the Brother's Greek background was not brought up in a positve way.
And being a local paper, they should know or at least know to ask.

And yes, we do all take a hit when some thing happens to a GLO, our own or another; be it on our campus or another. Be as an active or Alum.
A local murder case comes to mind real fast.
As do a few hazing cases, one involving a death.
Or "The SAE Riot" which occured on the front lawn of a SAE house which was attacked by two other houses.

[Leslie Anne]

Of course he did the right thing. However, I disagree that that's what the others are saying. Let's look at it once again:

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

it's great to see someone prove that we're responsible members of society with the courage to act when called upon.

How do the actions of ONE person prove anything about a group composed of hundreds of thousands of people? They don't. So, what I'm saying is let's leave the praise to the individual, David Sawyer.

I'm not debating the short end of the stick that Greeks often receive in the media. I believe it happens all the time.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

Of course he did the right thing. However, I disagree that that's what the others are saying. Let's look at it once again:



How do the actions of ONE person prove anything about a group composed of hundreds of thousands of people? They don't. So, what I'm saying is let's leave the praise to the individual, David Sawyer.

I'm not debating the short end of the stick that Greeks often receive in the media. I believe it happens all the time.

So if you agree with GLO's getting the short end, why have a problem when the write up is favorable?

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by jon1856

So if you agree with GLO's getting the short end, why have a problem when the write up is favorable?

I have no problem with a favorable write up. I do have a problem with people praising themselves for someone else's actions.

[bowsandtoes]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

I have no problem with a favorable write up. I do have a problem with people praising themselves for someone else's actions.

In no way was I attempting to divert praise from the real hero. I was simply pointing out as the sidenote, that the local media at Texas in particular finds it very easy to paint fraternities as a parasite when something negative comes up.

I think there's a SAE on the board here who probably knows the guy and could maybe give us some more details about how he saved him.

[macallan25]

That would be me. Yeah I know him. Great guy. Sounded to me like it happened just as they article said.

I bet the Daily Texas threw up in their mouths when they heard that they would have to write a story on a fraternity member saving someones life. Notice how they left out the fact that he is in a fraternity.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

The DailyTexan hates greek life.

Whatever. I read the Daily Texan almost daily and I don't see that at all. Maybe I'm missing something, but they seldom cover Greek Life that much anyway. Sure, they covered some dramatic hazing types of things, but nothing compares to their coverage of the Colton Pitonyak story a few years ago. And he wasn't Greek.

Besides, anyone who reads the Texan carefully will notice it's taken a serious turn to the political right in the last year and a half.

I'm calling shenanigans on y'all.

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

Besides, anyone who reads the Texan carefully will notice it's taken a serious turn to the political right in the last year and a half.

While a good thing, what does that have anything to do with it not liking the fraternity system?

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

While a good thing, what does that have anything to do with it not liking the fraternity system?

I won't comment on whether it's a good thing, but I think it's a related issue to Greek Life insofar as the NIC fraternity members at Texas on the whole tend to be conservative, and in particular the ones who post on GC tend to be very conservative. Let's face it, fraternities at UT and other southern/SEC schools, or schools like my alma mater, tend to be pretty extremely conservative and also promoters of the status quo. I'm not saying that there are more fraternity members writing for the daily Texan this year or anything. I have no idea of that. I just think that A) given the Texan's increased conservatism, conservative fraternity members would look more favorably on it, and B) a more conservative Daily Texan might tend to be more favorable to Greeks. The latter is really a hunch though.

The biggest issue is I've been reading the Texan nearly daily for 3 years now and I don't see this supposed hatred of Greek Life espoused on its pages.

I do get that Daily Texan staffers tend to be "intellectuals," regardless of their political positions. Maybe that's what pisses off fraternity members.

Ever since the "Whorification of Women" article, I've taken the Daily Texan much less seriously. Serious business, it is not.

[bowsandtoes]

To be fair the Colton Pitonyak thing was a murder after all, and compared to most the stuff the DT puts on the front page, that's pretty big news.

The only place where you really see a bias is in the opinions section, especially the firing line. I remember last year some girl sent in a piece about how she was up in arms because someone went to the store she was working because he was making a 'cholo' costume for a themed "frat" party. Not only was there no such party, but the DT continued to published letters on the issue, and each time made sure to mentioned that it was a racist "frat" party that was causing so much stir.

Its little things like that. But like you said, the DT isn't exactly the standard for journalism that it might have been in the past.

Anyway, this thread has digressed. Again, kudos to David Sawyer for his bravery.

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

Anyway, he deserves all the praise in the world. At a time when the stereotype of us college kids is wild party-animals, it's great to see someone prove that we're responsible members of society with the courage to act when called upon.

When haven't college students been seen as party animals? Did I miss something? And uh, hi, crowd of over 100 and only he could figure out that a guy floating facedown in the water wasn't quite right?
The EMT in me is just stunned that no one else could be bothered to act at all. And annoyed. If the article is accurate.