Mourning Gary
Grieving father: Remember son
‘for his life,’ not for its ending

Gary DeVercelly, an 18-year-old management major from Long Beach, Calif., died on Friday morning with his family at his side.
DeVercelly died after hospitalization for alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking at Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house early Thursday morning.
On Saturday, a memorial service was held at Gill Chapel. In the front of a packed Chapel filled with grief-stricken Rider students, faculty, administrators and other friends of the community, Gary’s father, Gary DeVercelly Sr., pleaded with the audience to remember his son in a better light. When the father spoke, a collective gasp emitted from an already teary audience. .... MORE

Klemchalk: Some media
too intrusive on campus

Some professional media organizations went too far in the coverage of Gary DeVercelly’s death and went as far as hounding students for interviews, a member of the student government said.

Several television news crews were too aggressive chasing student reaction,
driving some to tears, just to get the story, said Lawrenceville SGA President Steve Klemchalk. ..... MORE

Autopsy confirms alcohol poisoning as cause

The cause of the death of 18-year-old freshman Gary DeVercelly has been ruled “alcohol intoxication,” according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Casey DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, said Monday, April 2, that DeVercelly’s blood alcohol level was recorded at .426 percent, more than five times the legal intoxication level for driving a vehicle in New Jersey of .08 percent. ... MORE

DeVercelly remembered at service

Gary DeVercelly, 18, a management major from Long Beach, Calif., was remembered in a memorial service on Saturday, March 31, as a caring family member and friend.

The freshman died Friday after hospitalization for alcohol poisoning following a night of heavy drinking at Phi Kappa Tau fraternity early Thursday morning. ... MORE

Binge drinking rate unabated on college campuses

Excessive alcohol consumption seems to be a mainstay on college campuses.

A study released in March by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University found that there has been no significant decline in the proportion of students who binge drink in the past decade. This number has remained constant at 40 percent from 1993 to 2005. ... MORE

Rider and TCNJ share common bond

Now comes the tough part: Deciding what to do next.

The University is in the beginning stages of developing a set of recommendations to address the issues Gary DeVercelly’s death has brought to the surface, plans that may set a national example. The school has already invited an expert on binge drinking to join them to provide advice on best practices. ... MORE