Update March 5, 2012
Dartmouth's president, others express concerns about alleged hazing issues
http://thedartmouth.com/2012/03/05/news/sae
Excepts from much longer article ^^):
“By Ashley Ulrich, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Monday, March 5, 2012
Correction appended
The College has charged Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity with allegedly violating hazing regulations, but charges have not yet been finalized, according to Justin Anderson, director of media relations for the College. The College is also creating a task force to address hazing and its relationship with binge drinking and sexual assault on campus, College President Jim Yong Kim said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
. . . SAE leadership has also met with faculty and staff members to consider potential changes to the “pledge process” for 2012, seeking input from both other fraternity members and members of the community, according to Anderson, who said their initial proposals are “promising” and could potentially be applied to other student groups.
“It’s not our policy to comment on specific charges,” Anderson said. “This is an ongoing investigation related to potential hazing activity.”
. . . Kim said he is aware of the recent local and national press coverage of hazing at Dartmouth and that the appropriate judicial response is underway.
“It’s really important, and I hope that people know that this administration has taken a very aggressive approach to student safety,” he said. “That is my first and foremost responsibility, so I could not possibly take it more seriously.”
. . . Kim said he is as committed to preventing hazing and sexual assault on campus as he is to addressing binge drinking, an issue on which he has focused since becoming president of the College.
. . . Kim said his own ability to confront hazing issues within the Greek system is limited by his functional role within the College and the need for coordination between himself, other administrators, members of the Board of Trustees and faculty, which must be combined with input from students and staff.
. . . Students must join the effort and report any hazing violations they may experience or witness, Kim said. Since the problem is not confined solely to the Greek system but also involves other student organizations and sports teams, the solution requires coordination and commitment among all students and student groups, he said.
“Some people want to talk about changing the Greek system fundamentally,” Kim said. “. . .but you have to look at everybody. This is not just the Greek system that does [hazing].”
. . . Faculty and alumni have also mobilized to express their condemnation of the Greek system’s habitual hazing violations and their frustration with the way the administration has addressed the situation.
On Feb. 2, 105 faculty members signed a formal letter to the administration that referred to hazing as an “open secret for decades ... in opposition to the values that the College holds dear.”
A small group of alumni also responded on Feb. 18, pledging to stop donations to the College until administrators increased their efforts to curb hazing at the College. . . . “
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