College fraternities are no stranger to harmful hazing practices, a reputation of negativity and, in recent years, frequent deaths. According to a database keeping track of hazing events, 250 hazing deaths have occurred in America alone since the 1800s. In 2017-2018, five college campuses completely suspended all fraternities on campus. These no-tolerance suspensions have occurred in part due to the recent deaths that have been occurring surrounding unsafe alcohol consumption.
Courtesy: Harm Reduction for Alcohol
A San Diego university has followed suit in adopting a no-tolerance policy after the death of one of their own students. On Nov. 7, Dylan Hernandez, a freshman attending San Diego State University, was hospitalized one day after being found in his bed without a heartbeat or breathing rate. According to reports, Hernandez had suffered blunt force trauma to his head after falling from his elevated bunk bed. He was helped back onto his bed by his roommate but ultimately died after being taken to the hospital the next day. Hernandez had attended a fraternity event the night before his death, and reports say that this specific fraternity was possibly involved in misconduct surrounding the death of freshman Dylan Hernandez.
After this incriminating information was uncovered regarding the fraternity’s behavior, the university president, Adela de la Torre, suspended 14 on-campus fraternities. De la Torre is a mother herself and can be quoted as saying, “Nothing can replace the profound loss of a child and the devastating heartbreak the family and their loved ones are experiencing.” The fraternity that Dylan Hernandez had been affiliated with was Phi Gamma Delta. This specific group had been previously placed on probation by the school after being found in violation of regulations for alcohol.
Courtesy: LA Times
Unfortunately, violent and risky hazing practices seem to have become the norm for college fraternities. According to a 2008 study carried out by the University of Maine, 73% of fraternity or sorority members have experienced some form of hazing. That number can only be thought to have grown since 2008, partly due to the increasingly widespread death rates that have lately surrounded fraternities. Franklin College journalism professor, Hank Nuwer, reports that the last time a calendar year had been entirely free of at least one fraternity death due to hazing was 1958. Nuwer maintains a comprehensive database of hazing deaths in America since no other official source exists to document these fatalities.
A GoFundMe was organized by Carly Bernardo to help Dylan’s family and friends cope after his passing. Bernardo appears to be the girlfriend of the late Dylan Hernandez. The GoFundMe page she organized has soared past its $1000 goal and has reached $31,688 in raised funds. According to the GoFundMe page, Dylan was a 19-year-old Florida native, who resided in Jacksonville before moving to San Diego for college. He graduated from Bishop Kenny High School in 2019. The fundraiser page recalls Hernandez as being “outgoing, lighthearted and goofy, with an infectious smile.” Hernandez was also said to have “never failed at making everyone in a room smile.”
Courtesy: Heavy
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