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Prairie View A & M Responds to Death of Student Donnie WadeWednesday, October 21, 2009 PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas--Prairie View A&M University continues to mourn the loss of junior biology major Donnie Wade. The Hempstead Police Department began investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Prairie View A&M University student Donnie Wade. Wade, of Dallas, died Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the North Cypress Medical Center Hospital after experiencing difficulty during an early morning run at Hempstead High School. The death investigation of Donnie Wade will be assumed by Hempstead Police Department Prairie View A&M Campus police will work in conjunction with the Hempstead police during the probe. Additionally, The PVAMU Office of Student Affairs is conducting a separate investigation, including examining alleged incidents of hazing. Wade was a prospective member of Phi Beta Sigma, a registered student organization. Pending investigation results, Prairie View A&M President George C. Wright has suspended all membership intake process activities for all registered student organizations, indefinitely. “The University is taking this situation very seriously. It is imperative that we discontinue all fraternity and sorority membership intake activities until we receive a full account of events that led up to the death of Mr. Wade,” said President Wright. “The entire Prairie View A&M community is saddened by Donnie’s death. We extend our condolences to his family and friends during their time of bereavement.” Grief counseling and assistance is available to university students, faculty and staff at the PVAMU Owens-Franklin Health Center. About Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University was founded in 1876 and is the second-oldest public institution of higher education in Texas. With an established reputation for producing engineers, corporate leaders, nurses and educators, the university offers a variety of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs through eight colleges and schools. Prairie View A&M recently named its College of Engineering for alumnus Roy G. Perry and the university’s marching band, The Marching Storm, was featured as the lead band in the 2009 Rose Parade. A member of The Texas A&M University System, the university is dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant mission of achieving excellence in teaching, research and service. During the university’s 132-year history, more than 53,500 academic degrees have been awarded. For more information regarding PVAMU, visit www.pvamu.edu. |