As police continue to investigate the alcohol-related death of an 18-year-old student at Utah State University, the Sigma Nu fraternity is working to maintain its reputation there.
Folks from the national headquarters of the brotherhood in Lexington, Va., were in Logan this week to express condolences to the family and to meet with university officials and police regarding the investigation. The organization is expected to complete its own investigation, which will include deciding whether students are allowed to remain living in the privately-owned Sigma Nu house in the Greek district near campus.
USU freshman, Michael Starks, of Salt Lake City, was found dead at the Sigma Nu house early Friday morning. Police have released few details regarding the case, which has been said to be growing in complexity and in the number of people involved.
The event occurred during initiation week at the school, which USU spokesman John DeVilbiss said traditionally includes formal ceremonies inducting those invited into the Greek organizations. Starks was one of several pledges to the Sigma Nu fraternity, which has 25 members.
In the wake of the investigation, USU President Stan Albrecht "indefinitely suspended" actions and activities associated with both the Sigma Nu Fraternity and its sister organization, the Chi Omega sorority. The action does not apply to USU's other five fraternities and three sororities, comprising about 308 students.
The move bars the groups from association with the university and basically means they don't exist at the school, according to DeVilbiss.
"They have lost their ability to act in an official capacity for the time being," he said.
An independent investigation is being conducted by the university, DeVilbiss said "looking for code violations," such as those involving alcohol use and hazing. He said the university has received information that both organizations "have had some involvement" in the issue.
"We have a strict policy against hazing by or of USU students in any form," he said. Hazing is also against Utah state law and is punishable by felony prosecution.
The 70-year-old fraternal organization also exhibits a zero-tolerance policy on hazing rituals, said executive director Brad Beacham, who was in Salt Lake City on Wednesday to provide support to Starks' family.
The Sigma Nu Web site defines the act as "any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule." It does not mention activities involving alcohol as examples of hazing.
"First and foremost, we expect our members to comply with the laws in the city and state they are in as well as the university policies and procedures," Beacham said Wednesday. Sigma Nu will act deliberately in the process of understanding what happened in Logan last week and how it happened, he said.
The fraternity has an anti-hazing hotline, and distributes posters to advertise its policy.
"The threat of alcohol abuse and misuse is one of the largest health threats for everyone in the 18- to 22-year-old range," Beacham said. "It's a major health risk for anyone." The organization, he said, is not in a position to make conclusions about the events that have occurred.
USU calls itself a "dry campus," DeVilbiss said, in that it allows no alcohol on the grounds at all. The campus also has rules against underage drinking and restrictions within fraternity and sorority houses prohibiting alcohol use in public areas of the homes.
"These rules are strictly enforced," he said, adding that in the past 15 years, the university has responded to several alcohol-related infractions at the Sigma Nu house. He was unaware of any infractions coming from the Chi Omega house, but said some of its members were known to be with Starks prior to him being found unresponsive.
"We've never had anything as serious as this before, involving a death like this that we're aware of," DeVilbiss said.
Sigma Nu rarely, if ever, has events of this proportion, but Beacham said it is customary for fraternity officials to attend funerals of its members.
"We continue to extend our heartfelt sympathies to Michael's family," he said. "We recognize the loss of a wonderful young man and that's the real tragedy here."
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com