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Is Student Drinking Out Of Control At USC? Campus Meeting Looks At Issue

EXPOSITION PARK (CBSLA.com) — Student government at the University of Southern California held a meeting Tuesday night to discuss what some say is a dangerous new level of student drinking on campus.

The campus meeting on alcohol consumption and student life came on the heels of the death of a 20-year-old international student seen leaving a party last weekend and an accident earlier this month that seriously injured a student from nearby Loyola Marymount University. The female student was hurt at an unregistered fraternity party when she reportedly jumped face-first off a DJ table into a crowd.

USC: Student Drinking Out Of Control

"I struggle with the notion that a family that sent their son here from Singapore won't be coming back home," said Ainsley Carry, vice provost of student affairs.

On Oct. 14,  Carry announced a ban on fraternity and sorority parties on weeknights and said the fraternity that hosted the party had been placed on "immediate social probation" following the incident.

USC's Interfraternity Council president was quoted as saying, "I'm all for having fun, but when the lives of my fellow students are at risk a line has to be drawn."

"We have created an aggressive culture that has sent students to the hospital, and worse," he said.

One student told KNX 1070's Ed Mertz that "we've gotten a few messages across about alcohol but I don't think they're very effective."

Many students doubt the stricter rules will make a real difference.

"Alcohol is always going to be cool, and the more that they try to enforce their ideas of safety on us the harder we're going to want to go," another student observed.

On Monday, a friend of USC sophomore Thu Yain "Roy" Kyaw, found dead in his apartment reportedly after a leaving a party, told CBS2 that Kyaw was not known to drink excessively.

A cause of death has not been released in his case and early reports of alcohol poisoning have not been confirmed.

Administrators said Greek Row will not be shut down but current rules will be strictly enforced as a review of policies gets underway. Another meeting is planned among student leaders for Saturday.

RELATED STORIES:

USC Cracking Down On Weeknight Frat Parties After Female Partygoer Seriously Injured

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