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University of Iowa student’s death sparks alcohol ban at Greek events

Jackowski was in Missouri for a Sigma Chi fraternity formal.

Update:

Students at the University of Iowa expressed mixed feelings about the new alcohol ban placed on all official fraternity and sorority events Tuesday, May 2.

"I honestly don't agree with it....I think it's up to the students...if they want to drink or not..... they're responsible enough. They know the boundary or they should know the boundary, says Lamar Colon, junior.

Fraternity and Sorority Life organizers at the school declined an interview with WQAD, however they did confirm Kamil Jackowski died after attending an event hosted by his own fraternity Sigma Chi.

" I think (the ban) a great step for (fraternities) to take a step back and look at some of the issues facing their own communities to make their people involved in the organization safer," says junior, Madeline Smith.

The University of Iowa also banned any out of town formals hosted by any sorority or fraternity affiliated with the school.

Earlier:

IOWA CITY -- The University of Iowa's Fraternity and Sorority Life organization is banning alcohol at all official fraternity and sorority events in the wake of the apparent alcohol-related death of a freshman Sigma Chi member who was attending a fraternity formal at a Missouri resort over the weekend.

The Camden County Sheriff's Office said Monday that 19-year-old Kamil Jackowski of Arlington Heights, Illinois, was found unconscious in the motel Sunday. He was later declared dead at a hospital, and an autopsy was planned.

According to an article in the Daily Herald, University of Iowa student from Arlington Heights dies at fraternity event emergency responders were called by another guest staying in the same room as Jackowski, and CPR was performed at the scene.

In an email sent to students on Monday, May 1, Anna Long, president of the Panhellenic Council and Zach Rubenbauer, president of the Interfraternity Council, expressed their condolences to Jackowski's family as well as the Sigma Chi chapter at the University of Iowa.

"In light of this and other recent events in our community, we are writing today to announce an immediate ban on all Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council events with alcohol," the pair wrote. " This moratorium is effective as of May 1, 2017 and will continue until further notice. Additionally, we are announcing an immediate and permanent ban on all out-of-town formals. In the coming days, we will work through the specifics of this policy in partnership with University of Iowa administration and will communicate it to chapter leaders."

The letter went on to say that the ban will remain in effect until solutions are found to make events safer.

"These bans are not to be seen as a punishment," they wrote. "Rather, they are an acknowledgement that we must address the pervasive and dangerous alcohol culture that exists within our community."

Here is the statement in its entirety:

UI snip

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

 

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