Penn State Fraternity Charged After 2 Students Hospitalized For Alcohol Poisoning

STATE COLLEGE, PA — A Penn State fraternity is facing charges after two underage women were recently hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. Alpha Chi Rho, which had lost recognition for a year due to hazing, is facing charges of furnishing alcohol to minors in connection with an incident on Sept. 28.

The two 18-year-old females who were hospitalized had attended a party at the house earlier in the evening and were given alcohol, according to court documents obtained by the The Daily Collegian, the university's student newspaper. After they left the house, a police officer located the pair on a nearby road. One of the teens was slumped over with vomit by her feet, and the other was yelling, stumbling and crying, according to The Daily Collegian report.

One of the females had a blood alcohol content level of 0.223 and the other 0.286. For context, the legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is 0.08.

A recently released Greek life Score Card on the Interfraternity Council chapters indicates Alpha Chi Rho lost recognition for a year on July 17 for hazing.

A preliminary hearing for the charges is scheduled for Nov. 8.

This most recently reported incident at Penn State happened the same day a male student was hospitalized after being found unconscious off campus.

That incident, also reported on Sept. 28, involved a student who allegedly had been drinking alcohol at Delta Tau Delta. All functions at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity have been suspended on an interim basis pending an investigation into the 18-year-old student's injuries, university spokeswoman Lisa M. Powers told Patch earlier this month.

Powers, in a written statement, said he was found by police unconscious off campus on Calder Way in State College. The extent of his injuries was not disclosed.

"The Office of Student Conduct is investigating any alleged connection the fraternity may have with this incident. The findings of the investigation will provide direction for decisions or sanctions that could follow," Powers said in a statement following that incident.

The university has pledged to crack down on hazing and underage drinking following the death of sophomore Timothy Piazza in February.

Piazza was attending a pledge-acceptance party at the now-defunct Beta Theta Pi fraternity house when he became intoxicated and fell repeatedly, incurring serious injuries over a 12-hour period. No one in the house called 911 until the next day, and Piazza later died from head and internal injuries.

Eighteen Beta Theta Pi fraternity members have been charged in connection with Piazza's death; trial is pending. (Related: Penn State Frat House Death: Fast Drinking, Slow Death, Frantic Coverup In Grand Jury Timeline)

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