Hanover Police arrested two seniors who are members of Beta Theta Pi fraternity Friday for violated New Hampshire's hazing law during Fall term.
Nate Cook '94 and David Robb '94 are charged with hazing, along with providing liquor to Oge Young '96, who was a Beta pledge Fall term.
This is the first time Hanover Police arrested a student for violating the state's anti-hazing law, which went into effect last July. The law prohibits any hazing that causes physical or psychological harm.
Both offenses charged are Class B misdemeanors and punishable by fines up to $1,200. The students were released on their own recognizance Friday after posting $1,000 in bail. They are scheduled to appear in Hanover District Court March 9.
A statement issued by the Hanover Police stated that Cook and Robb forced Young to drink unsafe levels of alcohol during a fraternity initiation process.
"The pledge became intoxicated to the point that his personal safety was put into jeopardy," according to the statement.
Hanover Police Detective Richard Paulsen said there "is a little more to" the hazing charge, but he would not comment further.
But Young said he did not consider what the brothers did to him to be hazing.
"I don't think the house did anything wrong and I don't think anyone in the house did anything wrong," said Young, who is off this term, in a phone interview last night from his home in Concord, N.H.
"If I were an upperclassman and not a pledge I would have been doing the exact same thing," he said.
Paulsen said Young returned to his dormitory intoxicated after a pledge function, and talked to people in the dorm about what had happened at the fraternity that night.
A student who overheard Young told administrators in the Office of Residential Life last term about the alleged hazing, Paulsen said. Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco said her office passed the allegation along to Dean of the College Lee Pelton.
Sgt. Frank Moran, who is one of the two prosecuting officers for the case, said it is possible that more Beta brothers will be implicated as the case proceeds.
"It could be any number of people who are brought into this ... Whether a group of individuals is acting individually or collectively, they can be held accountable," Moran said.
Under New Hampshire state law, colleges and universities are required to report hazing incidents to police officers. Turco said Pelton told other administrators to forward any information they received about hazing to his office.
Pelton has said in the past that his office is responsible for deciding if there is sufficient evidence of hazing to report it to the police. In this case, Pelton said he informed Hanover Police of the alleged incidence.
Young said Hanover Police officers approached him toward the end of November and told them if he did corroborate the details in the story, he would face prosecution.
Under New Hampshire's hazing law, any person or school that has knowledge of a hazing incident but does not report it to law enforcement authorities is considered guilty.
Paulsen said the arrest of Cook and Robb was delayed by Hanover Police Chief Kurt Schimke's death last month.
Turco said she could not discuss the specific details of the incident because the College is still investigating the fraternity.
But she said she will meet with Pelton, Associate Dean of the College Dan Nelson, Proctor Robert McEwen and Associate Dean of Residential Life Deb Reinders next week to discuss the incident.
Dartmouth's hazing policy says "Violation of the Student Hazing Policy ... may subject an individual or recognized organization to disciplinary action."
Pelton said the College was not sure if it would pursue disciplinary action against the two seniors or Beta until the Hanover Police completes their investigation.
"Presumably the College will be provided with information that we will take and use in a disciplinary proceeding," he said. "We're waiting to know what charges have been filed. We're waiting to hear, we don't have the details."
Cook and Robb did not return several telephone calls and electronic mail messages. Beta President Casey Lipscomb '95 also could not be reached for comment.
