Students at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire are remembering a fellow student and beloved campus game show host who died last week in an alcohol-related accident.
Kyle Joswiak, a 22-year-old senior, was found unresponsive in an off-campus parking lot and was pronounced dead hours after being rushed to the hospital March 17, according to a statement from the Eau Claire police.
After an investigation, it was determined Joswiak’s death had been accidental and caused by massive head trauma after either trying to jump off of or falling from a safety rail. There was one witness to the event.
According to the statement, Joswiak’s blood alcohol concentration was .257.
Eau Claire Police Lt. Jerry Staniszewski said Joswiak had been drinking as part of a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
While city police responded, the incident was only a few blocks from campus, Staniszewski said.
Staniszewski said there were no other significant incidents or injuries on campus related to St. Patrick’s Day.
Joswiak, a broadcast journalism major, was a host of a popular game show on campus that pitted different residence hall floors against one other in a spin-off of Family Feud. Joswiak was a member of the campus TV channel, TV-10.
“He was always making people laugh. There was no bad thing to possibly mention about Kyle,” Jacob Douglas, Joswiak’s roommate and colleague at TV-10 said.
UW-Eau Claire Associate Dean of Students Jodi Thesing-Ritter said events to honor Joswiak’s memory will be held on the campus after the family funeral.
Douglas said he anticipates a memorial will be held after the campus’ spring break.
Thesing-Ritter said Joswiak’s passing may be the first time current students at UW-Eau Claire must cope with the death of someone close to them, and she said there will be resources available on campus for grieving students.