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Last updated: Thursday, May 24, 11:59 a.m.
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Student accused of stabbing released from jail

DA: Fraternities are “totally out of control”

By William P. Davis
Posted on Jan. 27, 2010, at 11:00 a.m.
The Maine Campus | The Maine Campus

The University of Maine student charged with stabbing another student Saturday morning was released from jail Monday after his arraignment.

Christopher Girouard, 20, of Sebago faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of aggravated assault, according to Penobscot County District Attorney Christopher Almy. Police originally charged Girouard with elevated aggravated assault, but the charge was reduced because there wasn’t sufficient bodily harm, according to Almy.

Girouard, a member of Delta Tau Delta, is accused of stabbing a member of Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) early Saturday morning with a folding pocketknife outside the FIJI house after Girouard was denied access. The victim was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center where he received 22 stitches and was released later that day.

Girouard was released on unsecured bond, meaning he did not have to post the $10,000 up front but is liable for it if he does not appear in court. Under the conditions of his release, Girouard must reside at his parents’ house in Sebago; not return to the UMaine campus without permission from the administration; have no contact with the victim; not use or possess alcohol; submit to searches of his person for use of alcohol and possess no weapons.

“I don’t know if he was drunk but he’d been drinking,” Almy said of Girouard. The DA said that underage drinking at UMaine is “like giving out candy. It’s all over the place. It’s a problem.”

“Alcohol is always a factor in these fraternity things,” Almy said. He said the fraternities are a big trouble for police and the community

“It’s trouble for the community, it’s an expense to the taxpayers in the sense that it costs the police,” Almy said.

“The university’s unable to control it,” Almy said. “It’s totally out of control, nothing the university can do about it, so it’s just a huge burden on the taxpayer every time we have one of these things.”

Dean of Students Robert Dana said UMaine’s fraternities are mostly well behaved, and that “the Greeks are not overrepresented in terms of conduct code offenses.”

“The University of Maine maintains a very close relationship with the Greeks,” Dana said. “We have expectations of them, and they’re high expectations, and by and large I believe that the students have responded to those expectations. Where things go bad with the Greeks it’s important that we don’t paint the entire Greek system with a broad brush.”

Dana did not say whether there would be charges related to underage drinking, but that “it will be addressed and attended to.”

Dana said he had met with leadership from the fraternities involved. “The meetings went very well. They were very serious and very, very concerned,” Dana said.

Girouard will be indicted Feb. 24 and will appear in court in April to enter his plea.

Campus Currents:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010, 11:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.

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  • Rick

    To say that the fraternities are ‘totally out of control’ is at best laughable! This guy has no clue about today’s Greek system at UMaine. Such a comment is born of ignorance – out of control fraternities were twenty years ago. Nowadays fraternities get summoned for leaving their lights on – nobody can do anything anymore and it’s only getting worse. The only valid point in this entire article is the problem regarding underage drinking. It will never go away, and it will never be fixed because the government makes too much money collecting fines. The kid who committed the crime should be punished severely, but please don’t drag the rest of us into his mess. Some of us work very hard to promote the positive aspects of the Greek system, and others who don’t know a thing about it continue to generalize and stereotype when something bad happens. Of all the negative things associated with fraternities, perhaps this is the most unfortunate.

  • http://Rjohn112@yahoo.com Rick John

    I wonder about the mess spewed out of DA Chris Almy’s mouth every time it opens. I can’t believe this idiot got re-elected. I urge everyone not to vote for this guy next time around. Notice how he didn’t mention the fact that one of his ADA’s was just recently convicted of OUI. A alcohol related offense and the guy didn’t lose his job. Plus I have seen many of his ADA’s drunk out in bars! Maybe Chris should control his own office. THAT’S WHAT IS OUT OF CONTROL.

  • Derek

    The problems cited by the DA as being indicative of Fraternities are problems that plague university students across the country. Unfortunate events like this affect all of the groups on campus and the campus as a whole. Just look through newspaper articles in the Maine Campus. On Thursday, November 8th, 2007 an article was published about a hockey player being charged with sexual assault. The DA never suggested that the Hockey Team was inherently bad or that a review of the hockey team should be made. I also cite the police beat as evidence of these problems affecting the campus as a whole. By the DA’s logic then the entire campus should be reviewed and possibly dissolved. It is obvious in all these instances that the problem lies with a few troubled individuals and not with any of the groups, organizations, or clubs on campus. Does the DA also believe that underage drinking doesn’t exist at colleges without a Greek System? The DA’s statements are nothing more than an attempt at getting more PR for when he comes up for reelection. The Greeks do more community service and philanthropy than any other group on campus. The Greeks are more involved with clubs and groups on campus than the non-Greeks even though they are the minority. To suggest that the Greeks as a whole represent a problem on campus shows a complete ignorance of college life.

  • Kierra

    Why are you attacking greek life as a whole, when one fraternity brother from a single fraternity was out of control?? If you’re going to blame a group, blame the fraternity that allowed this guy to join… apparently they have chose great guys to bring into greek life

  • Chuck

    Who cares about Greek life, good, bad, or indifferent?

    Why did this kid stab someone?
    Is this related to the girl that was found on middle street?

  • Karen

    Taxpayers dollars??? Apparently Almay isn’t aware that a great majority of the students on campus work and pay TAXES. As far as to say that the University of Maine has an underage drinking problem is rather funny. Tell me something,what university doesn’t have an underage drinking problem? Futhermore, what state in general doesn’t have an underage drinking problem? Underage drinking is going to happen anywhere and anytime so to point a finger at University student’s in general is stupid. How would the state survive without passing out the numerous amounts of fines that they do to these “college students”?. The cops prey on them!! If there wasn’t students at the university of Maine then how would the town of Orono survive?? It wouldnt!!! This was a very unfortunate event but to blame fraternities and underage drinking is a little over board. If he was 21 would it be about underage drinking?

  • Ryan

    No

  • Hank

    I completely agree. I am friends with the victim of this horrible incident so I take this situation seriously. However, in no way are fraternities to blame as a whole the DA is pinpointing fraternities for whatever personal grievance he may may have. To say that underage drinking is handed out like candy is ridiculous. Compared to other colleges or even UMaine 20 years ago, we a re much more mild. We also recieve twice as many summons especially if you belong to a fraternity. UMaine police already target fraternities way more than is necessary.

  • nic b

    “I don’t know if he was drunk but he’d been drinking,” Almy said of Girouard. The DA said that underage drinking at UMaine is “like giving out candy. It’s all over the place. It’s a problem.”
    Now instead of picking on poor Cigarette smokers address your Alcohol problem on and off your Campus facilities