MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The family of the WVU student who fell down the stairs at a fraternity house more than a week ago asked J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital officials not to release condition updates.
WVU senior David Rusko fell down the stairs at Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s WVU chapter house Nov. 10. Other students present waited more than two hours to call 911. WVU police and the national fraternity are investigating.
In the meantime, some students were suspended from the university and all fraternity events and activities were temporarily suspended by the national organization.
On Friday, a WVU Medicine spokesperson said Rusko was in critical condition. Monday afternoon, a spokesperson told The Dominion Post, “No condition is available, at the request of the patient’s family.”
Also Monday, WVU Spokesman John Bolt answered some questions from the newspaper.
— The student suspension is pending the outcome of the investigation.
— The number of students suspended or given other disciplinary action is still being determined.
— He was not aware of any students appealing the disciplinary actions, but they have until next week to do so.
— The investigation will determine the need for criminal charges.
— There is no indication of how long the university expects the investigation to take.
Johnny Sao, director of communications for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, told The Dominion Post last week the organization is investigating and working with WVU on its investigation.
He said fraternity members were also told to cooperate with WVU.
“While these investigations are ongoing, we have ordered the chapter to cease-and-desist — a temporary suspension of events and activities,” Sao said then.
Rusko, 22, a senior finance major at WVU, fell down stairs at the chapter house following the WVU-TCU game. Rusko, a fraternity brother there, was visiting with other fraternity members. It was not an official social gathering.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon was not among the five fraternities that dissociated from the university earlier in the semester. SAE was recognized in good standing following the implementation of the Reaching the Summit plan, a WVU-led initiative to reform Greek Life.
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Story by Jim Bissett