An Isolated Incident
That’s how officials at Southern Methodist University described the fatal drug overdose of sophomore Jake Stiles, whose body was found in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house in 2006. Then his father stumbled across evidence that campus police had ignored—and learned a painful lesson about the politics of damage control at one of the state’s most exclusive universities.
21 comments
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009, 12:36 am
Jennifer says:
Everyone is responsible for their choices, peer pressure or not. Life is full of risks, gambles and outcomes we never see coming. I am sorry of the loss any human life, especially one so young. I was a little sister at one of the "historical drug" houses. I was in an elite sorority at the University of Colorado. I used drugs and am one of the lucky ones to live to talk about it. Please, please, think about it, and build up the strength inside yourself before you are confronted with the "situation". Then it is easier to walk away or grab a bottle of water than go slowly the other way. It’s not easy, but going to parties with another who will support you helps also. Believe me, the money I went through, the unpleasant experiences and health issues, weren’t on my mind at the time either. Wishing you the best.
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009, 12:01 am
Samantha says:
Ummmm....How about EACH INDIVIDUAL take responsibility for themselves?
No one is FORCING you to DRINK OR DO DRUGS.
If the administration is so bad, go to another school.
Oh wait...but then you couldn’t be a typical Dallas elitist, huh.
Right.
Saturday, April 11th, 2009, 1:08 am
studentsmu says:
I am a student at SMU. This will seem surprising to most of you. I am in a fraternity, and I have never seen hard drugs in my two years here. Anyone think it might not be the school, but the fraternity in this article? thanks. Don’t let a tiny percentage of our population form judgements in your quickly conclusive minds about my school. especially if you’re an aggie, I’ll be your boss one day. And no, I’m not a snooty kid from Highland park, I don’t have a car and I’m on scholarship. I also like to do my research before coming to petty conclusions
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009, 10:07 pm
KABL Alumni says:
Having graduated from SMU in the early 90’s, I can tell you that not much has changed at the SAE house. ATO, Beta, and SAE were the drug houses back then. Amazing that SAE is not disciplined for a death in the house, and KA is kicked off for minor alcohol violations where no one was hurt. KA is a historically Southern fraternity. I wonder if this was part of the motivation for removing KA from campus. SMU is not the problem. Stupid parents who give their kids lots of money are the problem.
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009, 9:42 am
SMU journalist says:
Some new and interesting developments are going on in the greek life at SMU. Check out the story of one fraternity’s recent departure from campus at SMU’s The Daily Mustang: http://www.smudailymustang.com/?p=6404
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009, 1:58 am
Mike M says:
Well, it’s good to see that some things haven’t changed back at the hilltop. I graduated from SMU in the late 1970’s. It had it’s share of similar problems then, both inside and out of the Greek system (although more so inside). But is is a shame that then entire University gets tarred with the same brush.
The university has long had an outstanding faculty that many of it’s students didn’t deserve. But the top 20% or so students outside the Business School are serious students who are generally well motivated and highly qualified. And because of the outstanding faculty, the get a great education. O for an administration who has the guts to admit only those who can perform up to those standards and turn away the under performing offspring of alumni.
Monday, February 16th, 2009, 7:38 pm
Win in MT says:
As a graduate of SMU (undergraduate), a former graduate school student, and a former law enforcement employee, I can say without a doubt that SMU has a drug problem. Is it any worse than any other university? Probably not. Is the reality of drug and alcohol abuse on campus, and the awful consequences, swept under the rug by the campus administration? Absolutely. There are different rules for the administration of justice for different classes of people on campus. Fraternities and sororities are often given a pass. Visitors to campus are often not given a pass; and God-forbid an actual non-UP type show up and commit a crime. The wrath of the penal code shall fall on his head.
SMU, like most universities that cater to a certain segment of upper-class society, has a problem that needs to be addressed. Continuing to deny, ignore and indeed cover-up the problem will just result in more deaths and more ruined lives. Perhaps SMU could put a little more emphasis on the "Methodist" and a little less on the concepts of wealth, privilege and permissiveness.
Monday, February 16th, 2009, 2:15 pm
Dougie says:
This is a really well-done article. My heart goes out to the parents and family of the students who have fallen victim to these terrible drugs. I’ve always heard that SMU had a huge drug problem, but didn’t realize how bad until reading this. Yes, the campus is very pretty, and everyone drives fancy cars...but there is a ugly side that nobody seems to see.
I’ve read some comments about how this problem is at every campus. I can honestly say that I went 4 years at Texas A&M without seeing anything like this...EVER.
Sunday, February 15th, 2009, 12:59 pm
SMU to Nashville says:
Snellgrove got fired from Vanderbilt in Oct / 2008, just as he did from Duke. Do you see a pattern here ?
Thursday, February 12th, 2009, 3:16 pm
W says:
As a recent graduate of SMU, I would say that this article does a great job of embellishing student life at my alma mater. The images evoked by the author of a "conspiracy" and "cover up" by the administration of a rampant drug culture at SMU are ridiculous. The school has made great strides in the past decade, increasing admissions standards and the quality of education, due to the hardworking students and administration. While I feel the utmost grief for the Stiles family, I also feel sorry for the outstanding, hardworking, and intelligent students and alumni of the university who are being unjustly characterized as "coddled" and "underachieving". I believe that the authors intentions to help find the truth in this matter are good, however I think that the story could have been told without taking a jab at those of us who do not resemble the students portrayed in this article. I guess it makes for more exicitng journalism if the rest of us get thrown under the bus as well....
Thursday, February 12th, 2009, 11:32 am
ryan says:
Thank you for this wonderful article. As a student at SMU this place is, pardon the casual language, "a trip." Students here are rude, disgusting, and most importantly arrogant, mostly due to their nouveau riche status. Historically speaking, SDSU in California handled a similar situation the correct way. ONE student died of a drug overdose, and then the university began to call federal investigators in and work in accordance with police. After several months a large drug ring was exposed and the university was rid of these problem students. Until SMU starts to take problems seriously instead of trying to make money all the time, then its only time until this place caves in on itself.
Oh, and as another point... SMU is not known to be the pinnacle of morality and good judgment; shall we step back to 1987 anyone?
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009, 3:02 pm
Sam says:
SMU has now kicked a different fraternity off campus: Kappa Alpha. Read the story at: http://www.smudailymustang.com/?p=6404
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009, 2:53 pm
Lo says:
If you are interested in this story, you might also read this story about the Kappa Alpha’s being kicked off campus.
http://www.smudailymustang.com/?p=6404
Friday, February 6th, 2009, 9:10 am
Victoria says:
SMU is far from Tony Montana Land. I find it actually immature of of the Texas Monthly to waste their time bashing an outstanding fraternity and prestigious university to frighten Baby Boomers about the use of drugs. If there are students at a university with free time and allowance (whether large or small) there will be drug use. There will be the pot smokers, the cokeheads, etc. I have attended both The University of Oklahoma and SMU and I can honestly say that OU needs a reputation soiling regarding coke. At SMU people have seen it around enough to feel as if it’s not a novelty item. It’s not "all the rage". It’s actually becomes ignored by the intelligent partiers. Why don’t you ask another fraternity on frat row that starts with a Kappa about their "Powder Room"? What you concerned parents SHOULD think about is the prescription drugs you allow your kids to take. I know girls who are 90 pounds because of ADD medications. I also have close friends who are ZOMBIES, failing out of school because of the behavioral meds you give your kids instead of parent them. Xanax and Lexipro (sp?) to a 20 year old? PLEASE. We’re only stressed about what we wear in the morning and if we get invited to the next date party. What you should be worried about is raising a mature child who will know what and what not to swallow. Don’t give your kids legal drugs because you are doing just the same amount of harm as these supposedly raging lunatic coke head mustangs. And raise them to be mature enough to know that mixing insane combinations of drugs is their own fault....Not their fraternity’s and not the university’s. Please calm down, parents. We go to a privileged school because we earned it. Don’t offend us by associating us with someone who didn’t learn self control.
Friday, February 6th, 2009, 8:09 am
Peruna says:
Cheers to Texas Monthly for this outstanding piece of investigative journalism. The official response of the SMU administration to this article--whining about "distortion"-- suggests that little will change at SMU. It is a fine university with dedicated faculty, bright and nice students, and a capable staff (though not administration). But the endemic "bully culture" at SMU, not coincidentally the hallmark of its newest associate, the former President George W. Bush, stands in the way of the sort of reform the university must undertake. What right thinking parent would want to send a son or daughter to SMU? It would be distressing for anyone to witness the doings of the empowered degenerates such as Austin Bryan, let alone the ineptitude, if not worse, of the campus police and legal affairs officers. Making it all the worse would be the callous attitudes of many in the higher administration, as well as some of the students. SMU has a first-rate problem in its hands, and while it may say it is just a PR problem, this article demonstrates that it is much, much more than that.
Friday, February 6th, 2009, 12:00 am
Bob says:
I was an SMU student in the early 80s, joined a fraternity and lived next door to the SAE house. They were a pretty wild bunch back then, too.
There was a subset of drug users at every fraternity on campus then as now. Indeed, any time you gather up 75-125 young men with disposable income, some number of them are going to be into drugs. This would be true at almost any university in the nation.
The SAEs need to clean up their act, no doubt. But the scandal here isn’t so much a Greek system with a dysfunctional subset; it’s about the decisions the SMU administration took to minimize the PR damage from these three drug deaths. For the life of me, I cannot imagine why the primary investigative responsibility for any drug-related death on campus doesn’t pass from the Barney Fifes at SMU’s little security detail to the University Park PD, or better yet to Dallas PD.
The article provides a plausible explanation: if SMU leaves its own police department in charge, then SMU can sit on the facts of cases that, if they came to light, would embarrass the school. Or, perhaps more sinister, they are protecting the sons of wealthy and influential parents for financial reasons.
I loved my time at SMU and wouldn’t trade it for anything. But SMU for the past 25 years has tried to tell us the University has changed for the better -- a more diverse and academically-focused student body with fewer of those stereotypical mediocre rich kids. I’m not sure I’m buying it. The University still caters, first and foremost, to those rich families. And until it stops being run by its development department, SMU can never be the nationally-acclaimed university that it aspires to be.
Very, very sad.
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009, 6:22 pm
Lyla says:
The accusations about SMU in this article disgust me. I am a student here and I am in a sorority. However, I have never once touched drugs. Furthermore, I will not let some sad article about one boy who misused drugs on our campus talk poorly on my education. I am a smart girl and I will get far in life with my degree from this school. I am terribly remorseful for this family and their tragedy, but to blame it on SMU greek life or SMU alone is wrong. It is true that this school is very wealthy and students here have an easier time getting drugs, but that is their individual problem. We are grown adults in college and the SMU presidents and faculty should not be our babysitters. People making bad decision happens everywhere, all the time. It i wrong that some writer thinks he/she has the right to put down my intelligence and education because that person knows NOTHING about me. Needless to say, I am highly offended.
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009, 11:00 am
Ellis says:
I attended SMU over 20 years ago and was in a fraternity. Back then every fraternity had a group of drug users and I’m sure the same holds true today. Furthermore, based on my experiences at fraternity parties across the country drug use is commonplace. It’s a serious problem on all campuses as evidenced by Olympic gold medal winner, Michael Phelps, who was recently photographed taking a bong hit. Mr. Caswell was at SMU for many years but never solved the problem. It’s time for Mr. Turner and Ms. White to solve the problem now. Suggestions include the following: 1. Make fraternity presidents who live in the houses accountable for enforcing zero tolerance; 2. Shutter the fraternity if there is a drug violation; 3. Expel any student found using drugs; and 3.Find and prosecute the drug dealers supplying SMU students. Finally, while I applaud Mr. Blakeslee for shining a light on the problem his cheap shots about student quality at SMU smack of class jealousy. I and many of my friends graduated on time and are successes today due to hard work. Indeed, most of my friends were from middle class households. Your statistics are not factual.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009, 9:24 pm
essentialgreeknotsmu says:
I did not attend SMU but have friends that did. I am in the Greek system at another school. The story of this boy’s death may be an isolated incident but it is not isolated to SMU or Greek life. Anyone who takes illegal drugs is not acting alone. The drugs come from dealers. The inspiration comes from peer pressure. The ultimate decision is in the hands of the user but it is not easy to say "NO" when the truth around drugs abuse is not revealed. SMU brochures like media put out by other schools, and municipalities with great wealth want everything to look beautiful. The dark side exists in the midst of the most beautiful places and the truth needs to be taught in an effort to protect future generations. Ironically, Pres. Bush’s library is going to be built at SMU and the news broke around the same time as the death from drugs. Where did the President go for fundraising lunches regularly? To the same neighborhood in a very nice city that has - at least some of - the same problems as SMU; Naples, FL. Walking distance from where the President lunches lived a family whose son has a known drug problem. It is known because the paper finally wrote a story about a dead girl found in his room due to drug overdose. The news of the dead girl in such a nice neighborhood wasn’t the real story. The real story was that this was at least the second girl that had died in the house in a short amount of time from drug overdose and the prior news was swept under the rug so as not to cast a bad light on such a paradise...or the parent’s Mercedes dealership.
Friday, January 30th, 2009, 11:22 pm
sarabeth says:
I am an ’02 grad. And sadly, I have heard of similar stories before. I was proud of my education. However, after experiencing my own issues with SMU covering things up and seeing it happen to others that were blatantly wrong on SMUs part, I decided to get my masters and PhD from UT Austin and am not surprised when I hear of this. I heard from these other and who had issues with trying to get SMU to enforce rules and follow investigations into various incidents, which they never did. And most of the time blamed the student who brought up the question and/or the family just as in this case.
As I was told by someone once, SMU prides itself on that it doesn’t have crime, drugs, violence, etc. on campus. Well, yeah, because they don’t report it and make people be quiet with threats of blame on them if they bring it up. Or find anyone else to blame to not make it seem their fault or to claim and responsibility.
I do also agree it’s not the Greek life. I had plenty of friends at SMU in Greek. I was not. It’s not the fraternities or sororities. It’s SMU not taking responsibility in protecting their students, their Greek life and ultimately the lives of their students. And beyond that to NOT lie to the families of the victims and doing a thorough investigation, which anywhere would be done, except on campus for fear of loss of money from donors.
They fail continuously to do the right thing and fail to follow through with the right punishments to the people that are truly responsible. It’s a sad shame that while the education is great, the school has such a crappy social reputation and events like this happen. It’s not the first and it won’t be the last until something drastic changes.
Friday, January 30th, 2009, 8:07 pm
Lizzie says:
As an SMU Student involved in Greek Life, I am so disheartened to read this story. I am so grateful to Mr. Blakeslee for framing the story so as not to put Greek life in a negative light, but to place the blame on SMU, where it currently should be. I am dissapointed in the executive board at SMU who have failed to fill in the blanks and leave the Stiles family with some real answers. I hope this article makes them speak and finish the investigation properly so that Jake may rest in peace.
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