Trainer may be first to die from alcohol in 9 years

By Allison Sundaram

The death of a volunteer physical therapist over the summer may be the first on or near-campus death from alcohol in nearly a decade, a university administrator said last week.

Police say Jeannine Masch, 46, died on the morning of Thursday, July 21, at a house off-campus after attending a party there during the previous evening.

Masch's death, which authorities suspect may be alcohol related but cannot conclusively determine until an autopsy report is completed next month, may mark the first death in or around campus in nine years, Assistant Dean for Student Life Matthew Duncan said.

Santa Clara paramedics responded to a 911 call of a woman not breathing at a house near the intersection of Alviso Street and Fremont Avenue, authorities say around 9 a.m. Masch was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Though the university has been spared from alcohol deaths seen at other campuses nationwide, at least 22 students in the past year have required transport to the hospital due to alcohol poisoning, and 48 people have been examined by Emergency Medical Services for an alcohol-related injury, Duncan said.

The autopsy report from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's office was not available this week, but is expected to be released in October.

Santa Clara police could not comment on specifics of the investigation until the autopsy report was released, said Lt. Jim Buchanan, a department spokesman.

Duncan said that the death will not result in a change in university alcohol policy.

"We will continue to do what we've done in the past," Duncan said.

Freshmen are introduced to the school's alcohol policy during orientation and must successfully complete an online alcohol-education course.

During the past year, the university has stepped up alcohol enforcement and education programs, including harsher punishments for students who are caught intoxicated on or off campus.

Sanctions for off-campus alcohol violations range from a punishment and fine for the first offense, to suspension and expulsion, depending on the nature of the incident and the student's judicial record. Current sanctions are published in the university's Student Conduct Code.

Masch's is the second death that the Santa Clara Athletics Department has experienced over the summer. Moses Salcido, a student active in Bronco athletics, died in a car crash July 17 in Arizona. [See story, page 3.]

Many students describe Masch as a popular figure among Santa Clara athletes. A group on facebook.com, an online community for college students, commemorates her life.

"Jeannine was one of the nicest people I knew. She was always there to pull you up, no matter what," sophomore Brian Nelson said.

Masch worked as a volunteer athletic trainer for the school for 1ý years. On the side, she was a certified massage therapist. She also assisted with the contracted summer camps held on campus.

Masch had returned to Santa Clara to complete her accreditation as an athletic trainer. Her first paid assignment would have started Aug. 1.

Contact Allison Sundaram at (408) 554-4546 or asundaram@scu.edu.