Sorority President Franco Made Big Impact at URI - Died Tragically
Sunday, February 17, 2019
The University of Rhode Island (URI) campus is in mourning after the death of junior and sorority president Dominique Franco.
Franco was a nursing major and passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. As of Saturday evening, it was unknown when she passed. Franco was the President of Zeta Tau Alpha, and was considered a leader and an inspiration,
Ilana Freedman, Franco’s sorority sister, said, "Dominique was an amazing person -- hardworking, a great student, and made sure everyone was happy first.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTFreedman, a junior from North Andover, MA, and pledge call sister of the late Franco, said her sorority sister was "amazingly kind." “She was an outstanding student in nursing and served two terms as president. She was the most positive person ever knew.”
Freedman wanted people to know that the great thing about Franco was she always wanted to ‘fill everyone’s love cup up" -- a saying that expressed how selfless the New Jersey native Franco was.
For the sorority, the loss of Franco is heartbreaking -- but Freedman and her sisters wanted people to know Franco's leadership and approach to life was inspiring.
Franco was from Park Ridge, New Jersey.
URI Issued a Statement Late on Saturday
“The University is deeply saddened by the death of one of its community members and offers heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the individual. We understand that such news is deeply disturbing to our community and that we need to be supportive of each other through this difficult time.
The University is in the process of providing support to family members and friends of the individual through its Division of Student Affairs, Counseling Center, Dean of Students Office, Greek Life and Health Services. Staff members from the Counseling Center will be available throughout the weekend,” said URI in a statement.
The Incident
According to URI, emergency responders were called to 4 Fraternity Circle on the Kingston Campus around 8:38 a.m. Saturday morning, February 16.
The student was transported to South County Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
URI Police and Rhode Island State Police are conducting an investigation with the assistance of the Attorney General's Office.
According to police, at this time, there is no reason to believe that death was the result of foul play.
This story was first published 2/16/19 7:00 PM
