CHICO, Calif. — When the green campus of Cal State Chico goes blue in the moonlight and local farm boys sneak out to drink cheap beer, the curious, racy side of this university is readily apparent.
The heavy doors to the old houses on fraternity row, built in a sort of California Gothic style, are open or unlocked, and some lead to rooms and basements where nearly medieval hazing rituals have given the school its titillating reputation as dark, risky -- even dangerous.
At one fraternity known as "heavy" -- that's "wild" in Greek circles -- a young man in a sweatshirt and baseball cap stands on the porch and calls to a young woman in a tight sweater.
Cal State Chico -- An article in Tuesday's California section about hazing at Cal State Chico mistakenly said that a pledge to a fraternity at nearby Butte Community College died of alcohol poisoning. He did not die but was hospitalized. The article also said Chico has a population of 35,000; according to the city, the population is 71,317. In addition, University President Paul Zingg was quoted saying the school would shut down its Greek system if problems with hazing did not abate. Zingg made his comments to a group of 850 students and others, and his remarks were quoted in the local media. He did not speak with The Times. Also, although the article characterized the school as being well-known for its basketball program, its winning baseball program may be best known outside campus.
On March 31, The Times published a correction of four errors in a March 29 article about controversies arising from fraternity hazing at Cal State Chico. At the same time, editors began a full review of the story, which was published on the front page of the California section. Based on that inquiry, which included a visit to Chico by a Times editor, the paper has concluded that the article
"Ladies night!" he beckons. "Of course, it always is."
This party atmosphere has colored life here for years. But now, more than a month after at least eight Chi Tau fraternity brothers allegedly forced a 21-year-old pledge to drink 5 gallons of water, causing him to die of water intoxication, some here say it's time to bolster the university's reputation before it slides further.
University President Paul Zingg called the death of Matthew Carrington "the last straw. The university has no intention of waiting around for another death."
University officials are now investigating the Greek system, and Zingg said that if it appears beyond repair, he will shut it down.
Cal State Chico, with 14,000 students, is 90 minutes north of Sacramento and, to those beyond their college years, may be best known for its basketball team. But the school's racy reputation goes back decades, and in 1987, Playboy ranked Chico the No. 1 college in the country for partying. It was cause for celebration among many of the 875 members of the Greek system, cause for damage control on the part of administrators.
Chico State suffered its first hazing death about two decades ago, administrators say, but few records remain from that time.
The second came in the fall of 2000, when Adrian Heideman, a pledge at Pi Kappa Phi, died of alcohol poisoning.
In 2002, a fraternity member at nearby Butte Community College died after drinking so much that his blood-alcohol level rose to 0.496% -- more than six times the amount at which a person is considered legally drunk. The university does not consider the death its responsibility, but many students and scholars who study hazing tie the incident to Chico because the young man's fraternity was affiliated with a house recognized at the university.
- Judge Rejects Torture Charge in Student Death Aug 28, 2005
- Trial in Drinking Death Moved to Butte County Feb 06, 2002
- Fraternity Suspended as UCLA Probes Incident Apr 11, 1998
