University not responsible for Korona death

When Seth Korona made the decision to consume alcohol at Theta Chi, he did so as an independent adult who was capable of making his own decisions. He decided to drink that evening because he wanted to drink. University policy was obviously not a major factor in the mind of Korona or any other person who chose to drink that night, or any night, on University property.\nWhile it is certainly unfortunate that Seth Korona died, the University should not be held responsible for his death. The Korona family indeed should have named IU as a defendant in its lawsuit in an attempt to obtain the truth about what happened to their son. But IU should not be accountable for the individual choices its students make if it happens without prior knowledge of the University. \nThe University should be more forthcoming with the information surrounding Korona's death. The grieving family of any student who dies at college should have full access to information concerning the circumstances of their child's death. But the University should not be held responsible for Korona's death.\nSince the death of Pi Kappa Alpha member Joseph Bisanz in 1998, the University has taken enormous steps to crack down on alcohol on campus, in the dorms and especially throughout the greek system. Frat parties, both in terms of frequency and size, have been severely reduced since Bisanz's death, both as the result of the University's extra policing efforts and the added penalties incurred upon a fraternity caught with alcohol on its premises.\nIt is not the University's job to specifically watch every fraternity (or for that matter, sorority or dorm) 24 hours a day to stop every alcohol violation on this campus. As college students and as adults, we all must assume a certain level of personal responsibility, especially if we consciously make the decision to drink.\nWhen we begin to hold institutions such as universities responsible for the actions of their students, we establish a dangerous precedent. The University long ago banned the consumption of alcohol on campus. The University has made it abundantly clear since Bisanz's death that it will severely penalize and aggressively seek to prevent alcohol consumption in any context on this campus.\nIn order to more effectively police fraternity parties, and in an attempt to prevent these tragedies from repeating themselves, the University could have done nothing more than it has been doing the past few semesters.