A West Virginia University freshman who was discovered unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing in a fraternity house has died, say school officials who have suspended all fraternity and sorority activities on campus.
Nolan Michael Burch, 18, of New York, was discovered unresponsive inside the fraternity house of Kappa Sigma in Morgantown and taken to the city's Ruby Memorial Hospital where he was placed in intensive care in critical condition.
Morgantown police and paramedics had been summoned to the fraternity house on Nov. 12, finding Burch on the floor where he was being administered CPR by another man.
Burch had no detectable pulse and was not breathing, police said. He died on Nov. 14 at the hospital, school officials stated.
The national office of Kappa Sigma, in a statement released Friday, said it was "distraught and saddened by the news" and was initiating an investigation into what may have happened at the WVU chapter house.
The chapter's operations had been suspended in mid-October over "previous, unrelated violations of Kappa Sigma's Code of Conduct," the statement said.
"Subsequently, the chapter and school were notified on Monday, November 10, prior to the event in question, that the group's charter had been withdrawn and its operations had been closed," it said.
Greek organizations at a number of U.S. schools have faced scrutiny in the past year following incidents of death or injury to pledges.
In September, Clemson University suspended all fraternity activities after a 19-year-old pledge died during a fraternity run at the South Carolina School.
Another 19-year-old pledge died in July on a fraternity trip by Pi Kappa Phi at California State University, Northridge, in what investigators ruled was a hazing-related incident.
In March, Marquise Braham, 18, committed suicide following what his family alleged was repeated hazing at the Phi Sigma Kappa chapter of Penn State University.
The university put the fraternity on suspension last month.
At West Virginia University, officials explained their decision to halt all Greek activities, including "all chapter social and pledging activities," until further notice.
"The action to halt fraternity and sorority activities while these matters are being reviewed is being done with the well-being and safety of our students in mind," said Corey Farris, dean of students. "That is -- and must always be -- our foremost priority."
