Four fraternity members at the University of California's Chico campus were sentenced to jail after they pled guilty to charges related to the death of a student, The Chronicle for Higher Education reported last week.
Although AU ranks higher than the national average in the rate of the use of drugs and alcohol by students, no student has suffered from hyponatremia, or water intoxication, as a result of drinking too much water after an episode of binge drinking like the incident in California, according to Faith Leonard, dean of students at AU.
Binge drinking is a problem at almost every college campus, but there is no record of any student dying from alcohol poisoning on any of AU's campuses, according to Leonard.
The fact that the University of California students were members of a fraternity doesn't reflect any sort of national trend. AU greeks do not necessarily contribute to binge drinking, and their drinking rates do not differ from any other student demographic on campus, Leonard said.
"There is this stereotype that greeks, nationally, are engaged in risky behavior. Students at AU who belong to greek organizations are not engaging in alcohol abuse any more than other students on campus," Leonard said.
"I think it's kind of immature," said Erika Zapecza, a member of Chi Omega sorority. "I think drinking is okay to a certain extent, but binge drinking just gets you in trouble. [Binge drinking] would be against everything that we nationally stand for."
Matthew Carrington, the 21-year-old student who died in February was pledging the Chi Tau fraternity when he drank an excess amount of water after binge drinking. The large amount of water consumption brought on a condition known as hyponatremia, or water intoxication, which led to heart failure.
Hyponatremia is caused by the depletion of electrolytes and sodium in the body after extreme exertion or dehydration, according to Edythe Cook, director of patient services at the AU Health Center. The depletion of those elements combined with excess water develops fluid build-up in the lungs and swelling in the brain, which can lead to organ failure, coma and death, she said.
The four men charged with the student's death accepted plea deals that involved serving jail sentences, according to The Chronicle.
Megan Henry, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences and an AU varsity field hockey player, said she had heard about water intoxication from a friend but she always gives a drunken friend water.
"I'd probably give them maybe two glasses of water ... if they were going to be vomiting they would probably get dehydrated," Henry said.
She also said her coaches have never warned her about drinking too much water and encourage her to stay hydrated and drink a lot during practice.
A survey done by Southern Illinois University at AU, released last week said: "Last year 23 AU students were transported to the hospital for alcohol or other drug overdoses. None died, but the risks are high. All but three of these students were under 21, and most had been drinking off campus."
Symptoms of water intoxication include "swelling and tightness in the hands and feet, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, cramps, nausea and muscle aches," Cook said in an e-mail.
Reasons for hyponatremia can also be attributed to side effects of medications, dehydration or severe burns. It also occurs as a result of high performance activities, she said.
Treatment is different for every person based on their medical history and present sodium levels in their blood, Cook said. Different precautions should be taken when giving an intoxicated person water, but it also depends on their medical history, she said.
