Fraternity backs Indiana State chapter probation after death

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - A fraternity says it supports a decision by Indiana State University to place one of its chapters on probation following the accidental drowning of an 18-year-old freshman during an event in Illinois.

Sigma Chi Fraternity International's Executive Director Michael J. Church says in an emailed statement that its members are mourning Yiorgo Karnezis' Oct. 23 death and the fraternity is "grateful for the partnership and continued support" of the university.

The probation for Sigma Chi chapter runs through May 11, 2018. The chapter also won't be allowed to have any social events until the fall 2017 term.

The school has said that Karnezis of Munster, Indiana, apparently fell from a boat into a small pond during a Sigma Chi social event in the rural community of Dennison, Illinois.