A decade ago SUNY Geneseo tried to shut and disband the Pigs after two students were hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. A similar party was held this past weekend but this time a student died.

19-year old sophomore Arman Partamian, a Queens, NY native, was found dead Sunday inside the non-sanctioned fraternity’s house. Police say the student had been drinking heavily.

SUNY Geneseo administration is seething, accusing the Pigs of recruiting a good student and putting him through a hazing ritual that involved binge drinking and led to his subsequent death.

The school tells students and parents not to get involved with what ravaged underground fraternities like the Pig. Now that a student is dead, the school is looking at suspending any students associated with the fraternity.

Neighbors also want police to step up their efforts to stop underage drinking. In an investigation, NBC found out since 2006 police have been called to the house six times, including Saturday night, the night before the body of Partamian was found.

A neighbor told NBC, "The police looked and everybody else does, oh they are college kids, they are not causing a lot of problems, they are not out throwing things, so they just seem to let them go."

State police revealed that the garage of the house is converted into a bar and although it is a violation, under state law, nothing can be done because officers aren’t allowed on the property unless invited by a tenant or landlord since it’s classified as a two-family home.

Ironically, all recognized frats and sororities are inspected every year but since the Pigs are an unauthorized frat, they fall through the cracks and there’s pretty much nothing the town can do about it.
Various studies have found that 44% of students attending 4-year colleges drink alcohol at the binge level or greater. And, yearly:

• An estimated 30,000 college students require medical treatment after overdosing on alcohol.
• 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol, while more than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
• 400,000 students between the ages 18 and 24 engage in unprotected sex while drunk and say they wouldn't have done it had they been sober.

• 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex.

College presidents agree that binge drinking is the most serious problem on campus, and have come up with various ways to battle the problem. Schools like Georgetown have adopted a policy that some find controversial; if a student is sick from drugs or alcohol and you call the ambulance, you’re off the hook for any possible alcohol or drug violations. That includes if you’re the one throwing the party and/or have served alcohol to minors.

For the most part, students feel the policy has made many do the right thing (that is, call GERM, the Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service) because there isn’t concern about getting in trouble with police or college administration.

A Georgetown alum comments, “I knew a fair amount of people who were GERMed. Better that than left to sleep it off and end up dead.”

What do you think? Does this program seem effective or do you think it promotes alcohol abuse? Tell us in the comment box below.