DENVER -- Incoming freshmen at the University of Colorado will no longer be able to take part in "rush" during the fall semester and may even have to wait until their sophomore year.

CU Boulder Chancellor Richard Byyny announced the policy change Tuesday during a meeting with university faculty members at his annual "state of the campus" speech.

The announcement comes about after the death of Dallas freshman Lynn "Gordie" Bailey. The 18-year-old Chi Psi fraternity pledge was found dead at the fraternity's house the morning of Sept. 17.

Police say Bailey and other pledges were drinking heavily the night before his body was discovered, though his official cause of death hasn't been released. Bailey and the others were believed to have been involved in an alcohol-fueled fraternity initiation ceremony that took place around a campfire in Gold Hill west of Boulder, police said.

Byyny said he believes it's a good idea that incoming students not have to feel the pressure of rush -- the period during which fraternities and sororities court and choose new members -- during the first part of their college experience, when they are still trying to adjust academically.

"(Bailey) was a freshman," Byyny said. "He didn't have much experience and got into trouble."

Postponing rush process is among a series of reforms and programs that will be implemented at CU to help prevent alcohol-related deaths. Other reforms include more training for resident advisors, peer training programs and an essay required of applicants asking what "positive contributions" they will make on campus, Byyny said.

Byyny also announced a partnership between CU and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where 19-year-old sophomore Samantha Spady died from acute alcohol poisoning Sept. 5. Her body was found inside a fraternity house as well. Officials from both schools will collaborate to tackle the issue of binge drinking, he said.

Though binge drinking is not limited to the fraternity and sorority "Greeks," they can take a "leadership role" in the ongoing effort to stem alcohol abuse, Byyny said. CU does not have direct authority over Boulder's off-campus Greek houses, which are chartered by their national organizations.

"If they want to be part of this university, they will help us make that work," Byyny said.

Byyny has asked the national office of the Chi Psi fraternity to revoke the charter of the local chapter because of its history of problems. Chi Psi has been getting into trouble since the early 1990s for fighting, hazing and drinking violations, CU spokeswoman Pauline Hale said Tuesday. The CU Chi Psi chapter has been suspended pending the fraternity's private investigation into Bailey's death.

Deferred-rush policies, or "freshman freezes," are not uncommon, according to the Boulder Daily Camera. The paper said delayed-rush policies are in place at schools including Northwestern University, Wake Forest University in North Carolina and Florida Southern University. The University of Michigan, the University of Rochester in New York, California State University at Chico and the University of North Carolina are also considering the policy, the Camera said.