MIT revokes alum's diploma

Nearly two years after the drinking death of freshman fraternity pledge Scott Krueger, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology revoked the diploma of a 1998 graduate who was his pledgemaster. Charles Yoo had his degree revoked by the institute's Committee on Discipline for five years, according to Yoo's attorney, Timothy Burke. A spokesperson for MIT declined to comment on the action, citing privacy concerns, and would not confirm that the school revoked Yoo's diploma. Burke said that Yoo plans to file suit against the school in a Massachusetts state court to prevent the Boston school from carrying out the revocation. Yoo was the "pledge trainer" of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity chapter at MIT in September 1997, when Krueger died after consuming a large quantity of alcohol at a fraternity event. The incident received widespread media coverage at the time and helped bring to national attention the ongoing debate about drinking by underage college students. Since Krueger's death, the school has worked to substantially reform its campus housing system, which previously relied on fraternities to house most incoming freshmen because of inadequate dormitory space. Burke said MIT revoked Yoo's diploma in an unfair process, calling the act a "complete sham." "MIT needed to scapegoat somebody" to avoid its own responsibility for Krueger's death, he said, noting that Yoo was not the only fraternity brother who purchased alcohol given to the pledges. The attorney said he believes the institute unfairly thinks that "all responsibility rises and falls with the pledge trainer." Burke called a hearing before the disciplinary committee in early August a "Star Chamber process from start to finish," referring to the notoriously unjust English court abolished in the 17th century. The attorney said he has no reason to disbelieve the institute's claim that the diploma will eventually be returned to Yoo, but said that "five years from now, we'll see" if it actually happens. In an unrelated incident earlier this week, a 22-year-old MIT student was found dead in his dorm room after he inhaled nitrous oxide -- more commonly known as laughing gas -- from a plastic bag, several news organizations reported. The Boston Globe reported that an autopsy showed the cause of death to be asphyxiation.