(Memphis) University of Tennessee and the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity are speaking out for the first time after a student was rushed to the hospital with a deadly blood alcohol content.
The student is from Memphis and friends say the Christian Brothers High School graduate was taking alcohol enemas.
Pi Kappa Alpha’s national headquarters are based in Memphis.
The organization released a statement saying they are deeply saddened and disappointed by the dangerous activities involving alcohol over the weekend.
So far, they have suspended the Pike chapter at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville for thirty days.
Grant Vazzano knows Alexander Broughton because they went to high school together at Christian Brothers.
He can’t believe Broughton was taken to the hospital after friends say he did alcohol enemas.
“I mean he’s a good kid you know. Christian Brother’s High School, smart guy, I just didn’t see that coming. For sure,” said Vazzano.
Knoxville police say one of Broughton’s friends told them he had been consuming alcohol through a rubber tube in his anus.
Doctors say that gets you drunk faster, but is also more dangerous because the alcohol goes straight into your blood stream bypassing the liver.
Drew Bishop plays football at the University of Memphis and said he’s never known anyone to consume alcohol that way, but there’s always someone willing to try anything.
“Something different happens every once in a while and I guess somebody had to make the move,” said Bishop.
News Channel 3 tried to talk to the Broughton family in person and over the phone, but they couldn’t be reached.
Officials at the Pike headquarters and they say they are just trying to comprehend what happened, and they`re waiting on police reports they expect by the end of the week.
Statement from Pi Kappa Alpha:
As previously reported, The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity administratively suspended the Zeta Chapter and is continuing its fact finding process into the alleged incident involving individuals of the Zeta Chapter at the University of Tennessee that occurred early Saturday morning.
“The recent allegations against these individuals have come as a complete shock to The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity, its 15,000 undergraduate members and over 200,000 living alumni, family and friends.
Pi Kappa Alpha’s mission is to develop men of integrity, intellect, and high moral character and to foster a truly lifelong fraternal experience. These alleged activities are clearly not consistent with that mission, nor are they representative of what the Fraternity would expect from any of its members.”
“The Fraternity is working to address this unfortunate, isolated incident and has pledged its full cooperation with the University of Tennessee and local authorities in their respective investigations. Individuals will be held accountable for their actions; however, this should not be an indictment of the 136-year history of the Zeta Chapter, nor its over 2,600 alumni who condemn these alleged activities.
While the Zeta Chapter is an independent and separate entity from the International Fraternity; it is the responsibility of the local chapter officers and its members to abide by and enforce the Fraternity’s Standards.”
“Although these activities are isolated to a small group of individuals, the Fraternity recognizes that this is an opportunity to increase the public’s awareness of what appears to be an unfortunate and extremely dangerous practice by some young people today. It is an unfortunate example which reinforces our current and ongoing efforts to educate collegiate students on the dangers of the underage consumption of alcohol, binge drinking, and other potentially dangerous activities.”
“The Fraternity will continue its cooperation with local officials and remains committed to supporting those chapters, undergraduates, and alumni who uphold its values and standards.”