Patrick T. Harker
President, University of Delaware
Our University community has suffered a terrible loss with the death of freshman Brett Griffin, who died Nov. 8 while at a party near the campus. The loss of a promising young person is particularly sad. Our deepest sympathies go out to Brett's family and friends.
For members of the University community who are having difficulty in these trying days, trained counselors are available at our Center for Counseling and Student Development in the Perkins Student Center. Staff in our Office of Student Life and the Dean of Students Office are following this situation very closely.
The University is cooperating fully with the City of Newark Police Department in its investigation into Brett's death, and I would encourage anyone with information to cooperate with the police.
While specific information is not yet available, we do know that alcohol played a role in the events of that night.
I want to emphasize that the abuse of alcohol is an issue we take very seriously here. For the past several years, we have participated in AlcoholEdu for College, a web-based alcohol education program that is required for all our incoming students. Our goal is to educate our students so they can make good and informed decisions about alcohol.
Please know that once the Newark Police Department has completed its investigation, the University will be determining if there were violations of our Code of Conduct and will take appropriate action.
Today, our top concern is for the family of Brett and for our students. On behalf of the University community, I extend our condolences in this difficult time.
