One of the writers for the Chronicle is an ex-President of the University and an ex-CIA agent. When Philip Agee spoke here, they had lunch together.
Chico has had number of student drinking deaths. We also have an ambitious district attorney. The equally ambitious district attorney up the road and was recently appointed as a US attorney. Young people do stupid things. I doubt that any of them had any knowledge that drinking too much water could be harmful. The University has long had a reputation as a party school, located not too far from San Francisco, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and skiing. Many of my students used to be from very rich and famous families, coming here for the party atmosphere. Now I get many more first-generation Chicano students. These young people convicted here seem unlike the rich kids; several have Hispanic names. On Mon, Oct 31, 2005 at 09:41:14AM -0500, Louis Proyect wrote: > http://chronicle.com/daily/2005/10/2005103108n.htm > > Today's News > > Monday, October 31, 2005 > > Fraternity Members Are Sentenced to Prison After Admitting to Role in > Hazing Death at Cal State-Chico > > By JOHN L. PULLEY > > Four fraternity members at California State University's Chico campus > pleaded guilty last week on charges related to the death of a college student. > > Matthew Carrington, 21, died in February of heart failure brought on by the > consumption of large amounts of water. The condition, hyponatremia, or > water intoxication, is caused by depletion of electrolytes, particularly > sodium, in the body. It usually afflicts marathoners and other athletes who > sweat heavily and drink a lot of water. > > The four men accepted plea deals that require them to serve jail time, > according to local news reports. The longest sentence was one year for a > 22-year-old student who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Two > other students will serve six months each for misdemeanor hazing and being > accessories to manslaughter, and another student will serve 90 days for > misdemeanor hazing. The men were also sentenced to probation of three to > five years each. > > Three other men were charged with hazing, one of whom was sentenced earlier > this month to 30 days in jail and two years' probation. The two others will > face a hearing this month. > > In addition to consuming vast quantities of water, Mr. Carrington and > another pledge were forced to douse themselves with water while standing in > front of blowing fans in the basement of the now-defunct Chi Tau fraternity > house, the ABC news affiliate in Chico reported. > > His death came less than two years after Walter Dean Jennings, a freshman > at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, died in a similar > hazing incident at the Psi Epsilon Chi fraternity. Mr. Jennings drank so > much water that his brain swelled (The Chronicle, May 2, 2003). > > While most people are aware of the dangers of dehydration, the consequences > of too much water are poorly understood. Low sodium levels combined with > excessive water consumption can result in the extra water being absorbed > into the blood. Eventually, fluid accumulates in the brain and lungs, > leading to organ failure, coma, and death. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
