Most parents are fortunate enough never to have to bury a child.
Some college students go out drinking with their friends every night. Parents sit at home hoping, praying their child will not be the next to fall victim to alcohol poisoning.
When Jason Wren, a 19-year-old SAE from the University of Kansas was found dead in a bed in his fraternity house on Sunday, the Colorado family’s worst nightmare became a reality. Wren, a KU club lacrosse player, had been out drinking with his friends, leading to what his parents believe is an alcohol-related death. Police are still investigating and autopsy reports are pending, according to Kansascity.com.
In the wake of his son’s death, Jay Wren made a desperate plea to SAE to prohibit drinking in the chapter house. The university also has a strict no alcohol policy on campus except for fundraising events and through special permission. However, the chapter in question has a private, off-campus residence not under the jurisdiction of KU.
Despite the his best efforts, national and local officials failed to respond to Wren’s requests. The SAE national spokesperson for KU also declined to comment, saying the case is still under active police investigation.
At least police and the university seem to be cooperating. While KU is not engaged in the investigation because the house is located on private property, the university appears to be willing to assist the Wren family in seeking closure – something SMU has failed to do in the case of Jake Stiles.
While SAE at KU is one of the 21 of 22 fraternities on campus that allow drinking, all within state and local laws, there are still guidelines within each house that are strictly followed by each member.
In memory of Wren, there will be a memorial service on the lawn of the SAE house on Thursday. An educational program about the dangers of drinking will also be implemented by the fraternity in memory of their brother.
What was done at SMU? A tidy job of cleaning up an “isolated incident” that could have destroyed our university’s pristine reputation? Was our university so scared to face what happened, and allow Stiles’ parents to unveil the truth of their son’s death?
Yes, we are a private university and yes, FERPA really has no importance within SMU policies. KU is a public school, granting Wren’s parents full access to all police reports and any incident-related documents.
What’s more, SAE alumni and national SAE staff members are all actively involved in the investigation of the student’s unfortunate death.
KU has agreed to not issue any sanctions upon the fraternity, even though there was no specified function at the house the night of Wren’s death.
When Stiles was found dead in the SAE house on the SMU campus, the university quickly did everything they could to dissociate themselves with the death. Lawyers were tangled in the mix in hope of Jake’s parents salvaging any evidence pointing to the fact that their son had fallen victim to the danger of illegal drugs and excessive drinking in his prestigious fraternity’s house.
At KU, Wren’s brothers have willingly stepped forward to support the family. If SMU had taken the same steps, perhaps Tom and Rhonda Stiles would finally figure out what happened to their son.
Nicole Jacobsen is a junior journalism and advertising double major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].
