[B]URLINGTON — The University of Vermont suspended all fraternity activity Tuesday following the Saturday morning death of freshman Connor Gage.
Gage, a 19-year-old neuroscience major, was found dead in the snow Saturday morning. Burlington Police say preliminary autopsy results show he died due to hypothermia exacerbated by acute intoxication.
Annie Stevens, UVM’s vice provost for student affairs, wrote in an email to students Tuesday afternoon that the police’s investigation has revealed that Gage participated in social activities at one or more fraternities Friday night.
She wrote that all fraternity activities are suspended until further notice.
“I continue to urge students to take all the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe: look out for one another, always let somebody know where you are and where you are going, and make healthy choices around drugs and alcohol,” she wrote.
Police do not suspect foul play, and believe Gage was cutting through the parking lot during the early morning Saturday when he was stopped by a fence. The temperature was between -1 and -4 degrees, and police said the student was not wearing adequate clothing for the extreme cold.
Police say Gage had attended two off-campus events on Friday, leaving the second at 12:45 a.m. Saturday. About 20 minutes later a security camera recorded him near 294 North Winooski Ave., appearing “in a way consistent with intoxication and/or hypothermia,” police said.
