Berkeley frat where man found dead forfeited university recognition in 2010
BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- Family and friends are grieving tonight over the death of a college student found inside a fraternity house at UC Berkeley over the weekend. Vaibhev Loomba, 20, was found unresponsive on Sunday after going to a party Saturday night at Zeta Psi. It is the latest incident on UC Berkeley's troubled fraternity row.
There are still a few indicators outside Zeta Psi, remnants of a big party held there over the weekend. Photos from Berkeleyside show the debris inside the house on Bancroft Ave.
The event at the fraternity also apparently left one young partygoer dead. Loomba's body was found Sunday, face down in an upstairs room at the fraternity.
"It's certainly possible that either drugs or alcohol played a factor in his death," said Berkeley police Officer Jennifer Coats. "That's something that will ultimately be determined by the Alameda Coroner's office when they determine his actual cause of death."
At this point, police don't know exactly how Loomba died. He did not attend Cal, but was an engineering student at UC Davis. His family in Antioch declined comment when reached by ABC7 News.
The death at Zeta Psi comes on the heels of a series of sexual assault accusations involving several other Berkeley fraternities.
And, as ABC7's I-Team has revealed, there have been numerous reports of binge drinking on and around campus.
After several alcohol and hazing incidents, Zeta Psi forfeited its university recognition in 2010. Its national organization in New York still supports it.
VIDEO: Police explain past problems at Berkeley frat where man found dead
Darcy Tiller, who works with the company that does property maintenance at the fraternity, says the mood in there is very sad.
"These guys are a great fraternity," he said. "I don't think there's, you know, a lot of fraternities here aren't recognized. I would not pick on these guys necessarily because of that. Something went wrong at a party, and there's parties all over this campus."
Zeta Psi is 1 of 12 Berkeley fraternities currently not recognized by UC. They are not allowed to recruit on campus or use university resources. And the university actively discourages students from joining.
In a statement, a UC spokesperson told ABC7 News: "Our hearts go out to the family of this young man. As this is an active investigation, it's premature to speculate about what may have happened in this tragic situation."
