Four days after a freshman from Roswell died following a possible hazing event at a Louisiana State University fraternity house, the Phi Delta Theta national office said it is removing the LSU group’s charter.
Maxwell Gruver, 18, had just started his freshman year at LSU and was seeking membership in Phi Delta Theta. He died Thursday after being taken to a Baton Rouge hospital.
Gruver had a highly elevated blood alcohol level and THC —the chemical found in marijuana — in his urine, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office said Friday.
Gruver’s death is being investigated as a possible hazing incident, LSU’s president and police department said. Until there are answers, President F. King Alexander suspended all Greek activities. The fraternity’s national headquarters is also investigating the death, announcing Monday the decision to suspend the LSU chapter.
The LSU chapter was suspended because some members “were in violation of established risk management policies, including our Alcohol Free Housing policy,” Phi Delta Theta posted on its website.
“We continue to keep the entire Gruver family in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time,” said Bob Biggs, executive vice president and CEO of Phi Delta Theta. “This is a very tragic situation that should have never happened.”
Gruver was a 2017 graduate of Blessed Trinity High School and planned to study journalism at LSU. He loved sports and helped coach younger children, including his sister’s basketball team, according to his family.
“Max was very lovable. He cared a lot about people,” Eugene Gruver, Max’s grandfather, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He was bright, he was intelligent. He was so talented. He knew all about sports.”
The funeral for Max Gruver will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Roswell. A private internment will take place at Green Lawn Cemetery, according to his online obituary.
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