Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Alcohol is just part of life at any university. Every campus has its problems. It's nothing new.
But sometimes it takes a tragedy to evaluate just where the line is between a good time drinking responsibly and a binge culture causing dangerous situations.
Sam Martinez was a 19-year-old from Bellevue attending Washington State University. He planned on getting a degree and where he wanted his future to go. He never wanted to fall asleep on a basement couch and die.
He drank himself to death. He wanted to be part of the fun. He wanted to be part of Alpha Tau Omega, the longest continuously running fraternity on campus. They began in 1911. Now he's a part of their history.
He decided to drink, but at some point, the peer pressure should have stopped him before they had to carry him downstairs to sleep in the basement. Instead, it seems the atmosphere was to drink to excess.
Perhaps it was youthful bravado? Maybe it was Ignorance? Could it be a part of dumb machismo? We could blame it on a culture of hedonism and self-centered egotism? Most likely it was a combination of all elements.
The Pullman police did an admirable job investigating. They compiled 177 pages, numerous photos, and videos from social media. Yep, there are vides of under-aged "men" taking shots of liquor while playing video games. Martinez is heard yelling at the student with the shot to "Kill it!"
The culture at Alpha Tau Omega is in question.
In an event to pair an older more experienced upperclassman with a young freshman pledge, they have a tradition of drinking alcohol. "We give them an option to not drink." Right. We don't believe you.
When the "big brother" chooses their "family" drink for the "little brother," it's a statement. The chosen alcoholic beverage is what they are to drink while at university. It could be beer or wine, but for Martinez his "big" chose rum and handed him a half-gallon bottle.
If Martinez declined, it would put a damper on the fraternity members' enthusiasm to have him. He probably felt encouraged to drink as much as he could to be seen as cool and to fit in. It got him killed.
Alpha Tau Omega's culture is demonstrated in the organized "blackout date dash." A fraternity member finds a young woman who agrees to be handcuffed to him. The keys to the handcuffs are dropped in a "fifth" bottle of liquor and told to get free they need to drink it all.
It's easy to figure out why the word blackout is part of the event's title. If two people drink that much there is a good chance someone is so drunk they blackout and won't remember what happened. That's close to alcohol poisoning. Ask Martinez about how that works.
What's more disturbing is the date-rape element to the event. Handcuffed together and drinking until she has a blackout? Alcohol lowers inhibitions. She might have consented, but will she remember? I wonder how this takes place on a university campus of "woke" supporters of the "me too" movement.
Alpha Tau Omega seems to have a real split personality. They have events based on drinking while a sign at their fraternity house states, "Please know that our property is alcohol and substance free. Possession and consumption of alcohol by students, alumni, or guests is strictly prohibited here at all times ..."
Oh, maybe they don't have a split-personality. "... unless otherwise noted." Oops.
Alcohol is just part of life at any university. Every campus has its problems. It's nothing new.
But where is the line between fun and tragedy? It's rare someone dies. But shouldn't organizers of university campus drinking events take more responsibility? They should make sure inexperienced freshmen pledges don't drink when it's illegal. They should design the event to be safe.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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