Gordie Bailey is the subject of a documentary aimed at helping college students understand the dangers of hazing. Bailey, who was 18 years old when he pledged a fraternity at the University of Colorado, died from alcohol poisoning during a fraternity initiation ritual.

The documentary, titled "HAZE," was shown to University of New Hampshire fraternity and sorority members Sept. 23. Student staff writer Mallory Baker reported on the screening in the Sept. 24 edition of the school newspaper:

Gordie Bailey, was a pledge at Chi Psi fraternity at the University of Colorado in Boulder. On Sept. 16, 2004, he was sent into a local forest with his pledge class with orders to finish four handles of whiskey and six bottles of wine in the span of a half hour.

On Sept. 17, he was found dead in the library of the frat house. ...

In one respect, the message of HAZE was quite clear: College campuses nationwide have become both a haven and training ground for binge drinking, which the documentary defines as consuming five drinks in one sitting for men or four drinks in one sitting for women at least once in a period of two weeks.

In fact, according to a variety of alcohol and substance abuse experts interviewed in HAZE, 44 percent of college students in the United States are binge drinkers.

Labels: binge drinking, hazing, students

Throughout the world, high school and college students will spend a few moments today learning about the potentially devastating effects of peer pressure, hazing and alcohol poisoning.

According to a Sept. 22 article by Nancy Churnin of The Dallas Morning News, the global awareness event, which is known as "Gordie Day," was created by Leslie and Michael Lanahan to memorialize their son, Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr.:

Gordie was 18 and a freshman at the University of Colorado five years ago when he drank whiskey and wine as part of a fraternity hazing, was left to "sleep it off" and died of alcohol poisoning.

The Lanahans could have withdrawn into their pain. Instead, they turned it into the Gordie Foundation, which establishes Circle of Trust chapters to address the dangers of peer pressure and hazing, teach the signs of alcohol poisoning and encourage young people to pledge to call for help as needed.

The event is offered in conjunction with National Hazing Prevention Week (sponsored by HazingPrevention.org) in recognition that this is a likely week for hazing.

Labels: alcohol poisoning, alcohol_abuse, awareness, hazing