Greek Houses Fined; Deny Role In Fall Student Remains Hospitalized After 3-Story Fall At Fraternity
Sun., Dec. 15, 1996
A fraternity and a sorority at the University of Washington have been fined by their respective governing bodies for allowing underage drinking at a social exchange in October.
But both the Kappa Delta sorority and the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity deny any responsibility in the case of an 18-year-old Issaquah student who apparently fell from a third-floor window at the fraternity house and was paralyzed.
William Price was found on a sidewalk outside the fraternity about 3:30 a.m. Oct. 9. He told police that he’d been at a fraternity-sorority social and that he’d been drinking.
Price remains hospitalized.
Last month, the Panhellenic Association fined Kappa Delta $500 for letting members consume alcohol, but the sorority contends it had no role in Price’s accident.
Also, the Fraternity Community Council fined Alpha Delta Phi $1,100 for the drinking.
Fraternity President Kevin Erickson contends that the social exchange and Price’s fall were unrelated.
“Nobody witnessed Billy’s fall. Exactly how and why Billy fell is unknown. Billy himself does not remember how the fall happened,” Erickson said last week.
A chronology released by the University of Washington described how fraternity pledges went to the sorority house the night of Oct. 8, but no alcohol was consumed there.
Later that night, 13 sorority pledges went to the fraternity house where they drank beer.
At 11:30 p.m. Oct. 8, Price walked two sorority women home. They said he did not appear intoxicated. Price visited other fraternities and then returned to the Alpha Delta Phi house about 1:15 a.m. Oct. 9, the university said.
Price went to bed about 1:15 a.m. and was seen there as late as 3 a.m.
Thirty minutes later, a fraternity member heard a shout and found Price on the sidewalk.
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