Alcohol, not drugs, sickens students at Boulder fraternity, police say

The Boulder Police Department said Tuesday that five college students at the Kappa Sigma fraternity became violently ill over the weekend after drinking an “extreme” amount of alcohol — an incident the agency initially characterized as a rash of overdoses involving potentially tainted drugs.

Police originally reported that at least six men were ill or overdosed Saturday night after consuming “a possibly tainted batch of cocaine at a party” and that alcohol was also involved. That was based on the use of the overdose reversal drug Narcan as well as evidence found at the scene and “initial information,” police said.

IN Tuesday’s updatethe department said it does not appear fentanyl was involved. The five students who were ill “consumed an extreme amount of alcohol and some had taken drugs which led to them becoming violently ill,” police said.

Detectives seized cocaine at the scene, which they said is being tested.

Boulder police said five men were treated at the scene or taken to the hospital, and one of them — whose prognosis had initially been “serious” — remained hospitalized Tuesday.

Neither local nor national representatives of the Kappa Sigma fraternity responded to requests for comment from The Denver Post.

Kappa Sigma is among three “rogue” fraternities that do not belong to any of the established Greek supervisory organizations at the University of Colorado.

Greek life at CU has been fractured since 2005, when Boulder fraternities — under scrutiny for alcohol fueled hazing death the year before by Chi Psi pledge Lynn “Gordie” Bailey – broke off campus after refusing to sign an agreement to postpone rush until the spring each year and have house supervisors.

The independent Interfraternity Council on the Hill — a student-run watchdog organization now led by Chief Counsel Michael Smith — was born out of the split.

The council is made up of more than 20 fraternity chapters in Boulder with nearly 2,500 members, Smith said.

CU Boulder restarted its own fraternity council in 2015 and today has 10 active fraternity organizations affiliated that have accepted university oversight.

Kappa Sigma was part of the Interfraternity Council on the Hill until about five years ago, Smith said. Kappa Sigma hosted parties that violated IFC on the Hill risk management rules, Smith said, leading to the split.

“They left the IFC after a series of events prompted them to go to our judicial council,” Smith said. “They were to suffer significant penalties and instead of being held accountable, they chose to leave.”

Sigma Pi and Phi Kappa Tau fraternities also do not belong to IFC on the Hill or CU’s fraternity council. Instead of an oversight organization, Smith said fraternity alumni are expected to oversee what he referred to as the “rogue” fraternity houses.

“Their alumni are far more concerned about the property than they are about their children,” Smith said, referring to Kappa Sigma’s 27-room fraternity house at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave.

Nicole Mueksch, a spokeswoman for CU Boulder, said the university cannot stop unaffiliated organizations from existing, and it cannot engage in student conduct and conflict resolution processes with them.

“However, it is important to note that all CU Boulder students are subject to our Student Code of Conduct, including students involved in non-affiliated organizations,” Mueksch said. “CU Boulder has established processes, including the Student Conduct Resolution, to resolve incidents where students or recognized student organizations are alleged to have violated university policy.”

CU Boulder’s Division of Student Affairs, Counseling and Psychiatry and the Office of Victim Assistance are communicating with those directly affected by the overdose incident and providing support, Mueksch said.