Why won Ryerson go Greek?
Posted on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 Written by Stacey Askew There were beer vending machines in frat houses, cigarette advertisements in university newspapers and it was one death that pushed a tradition to extinction at Ryerson. On Jan. 23, 1965, Ryerson student Thomas Dasovich was one of 18 contestants in a inter-fraternity beer drinking contest between three unofficial Ryerson frats. After the competition was over, 320-pound Dasovich insisted on driving himself home. He drove through nearby Allan Gardens and was struck by another car as he drove onto Gerrard St. E., just a few blocks from Ryerson. He died when his car was thrown in the path of another oncoming vehicle. He was 26 years old. At the time of his death, Ryerson’s 3,000 students could choose from five fraternities. Today, Ryerson is home to 21,000 full-time students and just one fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi). Ryerson distanced itself from frats after Dasovich’s death. Today, fraternities aren’t officially recognized
