Fifteen Nevada students face discipline in drowning

RENO -- Fifteen students at the University of Nevada, Reno have been charged with campus violations in connection with the October drowning of a classmate, officials said.

The students, once members or pledges of the now-defunct Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, face suspension or explusion, said Rita Laden, UNR's assistant vice president of Student Life Services.

The university hopes the actions will provide closure in the wake of the drowning, she said. The violations range from swimming in Manzanita Lake on the campus to the more serious charge of hazing, she added.

"We want the university to get back to normal," Laden told a Reno newspaper. "It's still a tragedy, an awful thing that happened."

The charges stem from the Oct. 10 death of Albert Santos, 18, of Las Vegas. He drowned while swimming in the lake with eight other pledges at about 1:20 a.m.

Santos, who could not swim, had a blood alcohol content of .062 when his body was recovered, according to campus police.

Last month, prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against the pledges or fraternity members.

Also last month, UNR banned Pi Kappa Alpha from operating on campus indefinitely.

Laden said she's prohibited by federal law from disclosing the 15 students' names.