Fraternity Absolved in Student's Death

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.-A Rutgers University student panel has absolved the Chi Psi fraternity of responsibility for the critical injury of a 22-year-old student who jumped 28 feet onto a concrete ramp, apparently while drunk at a football game.

Thomas Allen, Chi Psi's vice president, remained in a coma this week with a fractured skull and injuries to his face and neck. He has not regained consciousness since the October 18 incident.

The accident occurred during the Rutgers-Williams and Mary football game, after 25 Chi Psi members drank a grain alcohol mix and cavorted through the stands during the homecoming game. They were participating in a ten-year-old homecoming ritual that includes drinking and dressing up in costumes.

The student committee, which governs fraternities and whose decision could be overridden by the administration, concluded that "Tom acted by himself, as an individual, and that Chi Psi acted as best they could to prevent any problems," Mark Scerbo, the panel's chairman, said.

The panel urged the university to prohibit alcohol from the stands and to build a barrier in the stadium to prevent further injuries.