Florida State University is the latest major university in the U.S. to suspend Greek life on its campus, days after the death of a fraternity pledge.
University President John Thrasher announced the decision at a press conference Monday, three days after Pi Kappa Phi pledge Andrew Coffey died after a party.
Deaths of fraternity members and pledges continue to be a problem on U.S. campuses — one study on hazing found over 40 deaths at U.S. fraternities in the past decade.
And though a full-on suspension of Greek life might seem drastic, it's something more universities are starting to turn to after similar incidents.
Before Florida State, there was Louisiana State University, where an 18-year-old pledge died of alcohol poisoning in September. The school suspended all Greek life while it looked into the incident.
Most fraternities saw their meetings resume several weeks later but with new restrictions in place on events like overnight retreats.
A pledge at Clemson University in South Carolina died in September 2014, prompting the school to suspend Greek life before reinstating it later in the semester.
The university has been strict on infractions since then — right now, eight different Greek chapters at Clemson are suspended, and three more are on probation.
It's not clear when Florida State's Greek life suspension will end, but Thrasher said he wants to see "a new normal" at Florida State before it does.
