California State University At Chico

Prosecutors have charged eight members of "an outlaw or rogue" fraternity at Cal State Chico with involuntary manslaughter one month after they allegedly forced a pledge to drink so much water he died of water intoxication. After an intense night of hazing that authorities say bordered on torture, one of two pledges forced to drink numerous gallons of water and roll around in raw sewage in an icy cold basement, died the morning of Feb. 2.

Hackers attacked computer servers at Cal State Chico and may have gained access to the personal information of 59,000 people affiliated with the school, a university spokesman said. The Northern California campus is alerting students, former students, prospective students and faculty that their personal information, including Social Security numbers, may have been compromised in the attack three weeks ago, spokesman Joe Wills said.

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.

The president of Cal State Chico has threatened to shut down any fraternity or sorority that doesn't abide by strict new rules, including a ban on alcohol at recruiting events. Paul Zingg told a crowd of about 1,000, most of them members of the university's 37 fraternities and sororities, that the "Animal House" ways would no longer be tolerated. "To the extent that you are now," he said, "you will no longer be drinking clubs masquerading as fraternities and sororities."

Seven men have been ordered to stand trial in the death of a Cal State Chico student who died after drinking large amounts of water during a fraternity initiation incident. Butte County Superior Court Judge Stephen Vincent ruled Friday that there was sufficient evidence for four former members of the Chi Tau fraternity to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter and hazing charges and for three others to face hazing charges. Prosecutors said Matthew Carrington, 21, of Pleasant Hill, Calif.

The president of Cal State Chico banned alcohol and hazing at fraternities and sororities after student deaths and serious injuries related to the organizations. The university will require the groups to register with school officials, meet a minimum grade-point average and end hazing, President Paul Zingg said Thursday. If hazing and alcohol abuse continue, he said, he will dismantle the Greek system. "They're here for the moment, but only here if they react positively to these terms," he said.

A judge reviewing the death of a Chico State University student has ruled that several fraternity members can be tried on a charge of hazing. But Butte County Superior Court Judge Robert Glusman said Friday he did not believe the evidence warranted adding a torture charge. Matthew Carrington, 21, a Chico State student, died of medical complications Feb. 2 after allegedly being ordered to drink large amounts of water as part of a fraternity initiation rite.

Two college students charged with leaving racially offensive graffiti in a Cal State Chico dormitory pleaded not guilty in Butte County Superior Court to felony vandalism, which could carry a penalty of up to three years in prison. A judge scheduled Timothy Simmons, 21, and Deric Braito, 22, to stand trial in early June.

Cal State Chico students who are called to active military duty will be able to take their homework with them, university officials said. Students in the reserves or the National Guard who have to leave school suddenly will be able to finish the classes online, said Larry Langwell, director of veterans affairs at Chico State.