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FSU fraternities, sororities suspended after pledge is found dead following party

Posted at 2:38 PM, Nov 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-06 17:17:37-05

Police are investigating the death of a Florida State University fraternity pledge at a chapter party.

The Tallahassee police say no one has been arrested in the death of Pi Kappa Phi pledge Andrew Coffey at an off-campus house party Friday. The 20-year-old Coffey was a civil engineering major from Pompano Beach.

A member of Phi Delta Theta at the university was arrested Monday in an unrelated case for sale and trafficking of cocaine.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that officers were collecting alcoholic beverage bottles that were scattered on the home’s porch as evidence. The report also said several people were being questioned, but no suspects have been identified.

An AP source also says FSU President John Thrasher announced an indefinite interim suspension of all fraternities and sororities,

“For this suspension to end, there will need to be a new normal for Greek Life at the university,” Thrasher said. “There must be a new culture, and our students must be full participants in creating it.”

Thrasher also instituted a ban on alcohol at all Recognized Student Organization events during the indefinite interim suspension. FSU has more than 700 such organizations outside of the Greek community.

“Like most universities, we worry about alcohol and drug abuse and other dangerous behaviors, and we are doing all we can to educate our students,” Thrasher said. “But all of our student organizations — Greek organizations and the other recognized student organizations on campus — must step up. They will have to participate in the solution.”