CSUF Freshman Dies After Underground Frat Event; Family Demands Investigation

Anthony Blas, 18, died after attending an off-campus fraternity event at Cal State Fullerton. His family is pushing for stronger campus warnings about unrecognized fraternities.

Family of Dead CSUF Freshman Calls Out Unrecognized Fraternities

The family of Anthony Joseph Blas, an 18-year-old Cal State Fullerton freshman who died after attending an off-campus fraternity event, is speaking out publicly — demanding a full investigation and pushing for stronger protections for incoming college students, NY Post Metro reports.

Blas was dropped off unresponsive at St. Jude Medical Center on September 13 and later died. Investigators believe his death was alcohol-related, stemming from an event hosted by an underground fraternity.

"Our hope is to work with lawmakers… to push for stronger awareness and education for incoming college students, especially freshmen, about fake, underground, and unrecognized fraternities and organizations," his family wrote in a GoFundMe posted Friday. "How students can identify them; and the potential dangers of becoming involved with an organization that is not what it claims to be."

The family said students deserve this information before they ever set foot on campus. "We want incoming students and their families to know what questions to ask, how to verify whether an organization is legitimately recognized, what warning signs to look for, and where they can turn for help if something doesn't feel right," they wrote.

Blas had only recently turned 18 and was, according to his family, excited about the future and the "dreams he was just beginning to build for himself."

He is believed to have attended an event hosted by Delta Chi, a fraternity that lost its recognition at CSUF in 2021 over hazing allegations and violations involving the "use, possession, manufacture, or distribution" of illegal drugs and alcohol, according to CSUF's Student Organization Conduct Status. The fraternity has not been officially confirmed as involved in Blas's death.

The national office of Delta Chi told the OC Register that, following the closure of its campus chapter, it "proactively worked with university officials to make students aware that no active Delta Chi chapter exists at California State University, Fullerton." The event Blas attended, however, was held at a location associated with the fraternity's former address.

The family is calling for a "complete and transparent investigation" and has raised concerns that "hazing may have played a role." They are also seeking answers as to why 911 was not called when Blas was found unresponsive, and who was with him in the hours before his death.

The GoFundMe established by the family has raised more than $1,800 toward a $10,000 goal.

The incident unfolds as another Southern California campus faces its own crisis: four rapes have been reported at Cal State San Marcos over a span of three weeks this month, leaving female students alarmed and, according to reports, taking personal safety precautions while on campus.

Source: NY Post Metro