The Red and Black

Issue date: 9/18/09 Section: News

MERCADO [Click to enlarge]

Police incident report [Click to enlarge]

An 18-year-old University student, who said members of his fraternity made him drink, plans to pursue hazing charges against the fraternity, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police report.

Ry Thomas Mercado, a pledge at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity according to the police report, was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol early Thursday morning after vomiting in a taxi and refusing to pay.

When the arresting officer found Mercado, he noticed two IDs in Mercado's wallet. When asked about the second ID, Mercado said he found it on the floor of Bourbon Street bar.

Because Mercado was too young to be admitted into the bar, the officer asked him how he got inside to obtain the second ID. Mercado then explained the ID belonged to a fraternity member.

The officer asked if Mercado had been drinking. Mercado explained he had been drinking as part of his pledgeship.

He later apologized to the officer for drinking underage and said the fraternity pressured him to drink, and he knew if he refused he would be kicked out.

Mercado said he didn't want to get the fraternity in trouble, but when taken to jail he said he wanted to pursue hazing charges against the fraternity.

Trevor Brightwell, president of the Interfraternity Council, said the council was looking into the situation as of Thursday afternoon.

"UGA is a non-hazing institution and the IFC stands by that," he said. "We have multiple hazing programs, basically just education on hazing. Every Greek member of an IFC fraternity attends one."

Brightwell said he didn't remember exactly when the last anti-hazing program was held, but all pledges went through such a program within the last month.

Eric Atkinson, assistant to the vice president of student affairs, said his office runs several anti-hazing programs with the IFC and held two programs in August.

"Hazing is something that we always take seriously across the board," he said. "It's something that we work really hard to educate our students about."

Atkinson said the University's Office of Judicial Programs will investigate the situation.

"We're concerned about the welfare and the well-being of the student," he said.

Mercado and Jared Swanson, president of Pi Kappa Alpha, both refused to comment.

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