Simply blaming fraternities for the death of Matthew Garofalo overlooks the true depth of the problem. Garofalo, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha at the University of Iowa, was found dead after inhaling his own vomit on Sept. 8.

His blood alcohol level was estimated to have reached .188 during the previous evening. And after passing out that night, a beard was drawn on his face with black marker.

Fingers point at fraternities as the root of the problem, but alcoholism is an epidemic prevalent in all areas of college campuses – not solely contracted by members of the greek system. U of I Director of Campus Programs and Student Activities David Grady agreed that pranks played on drunk students also occur in the residence halls and off-campus apartments.

According to state Board of Regents President Marvin Pomerantz, the three state universities’ alcohol policies may be examined following the Garofalo investigation. As the regents review the case, they should see it as a problematic signal of all college students, not only of fraternity members.