While many sophomores enjoyed the more relaxed tone of sophomore summer, last term was not without its share of activity involving Greek life, thefts and a professor's death.
After instigating a confrontation with two other houses in late June, Beta Theta Pi fraternity lost its right to hold Fall-term rush after the Coed Fraternity Sorority Judicial Committee imposed four separate sanctions on the house. The sanctions included an indefinite suspension of the fraternity with full social restrictions and forcing the house to issue a letter released to the Dartmouth community apologizing for its involvement in the incident.
The letter states on the night of June 26, a Beta brother tackled a Sigma Nu fraternity brother on the lawn of The Tabard coed fraternity after two Sigma Nu brothers disturbed the weekly Beta house meeting.
When a Tabard member exited the house and attempted to verbally dismiss the crowd, "several in the crowd began calling him names and directing him to get back to his house," according to the letter. "Directives to return to his house included profanity, racial epithets and vulgarity accompanied by obscene gestures."
No individuals have come forward to accept responsibility for the tackling and threats, the letter stated.
Beta was granted a second hearing where the fraternity appealed for clemency but was granted none.
In other Greek news, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority was broken into and property was severely damaged and destroyed while most of its members were off campus at a "sister overnight" in July.
Kate Armstrong '98, KKG's summer president, described the condition of the house in an e-mail message sent to the presidents of the other Greek houses.
"Our house was absolutely trashed," she wrote. "Not in a funny way. There was feces in our kitchen, property destroyed, breaking and entering, etc."
Police were still conducting their investigation of the incident at the close of the summer.
An incident at Sigma Delta sorority provoked concern from sisters. Hanover police charged Benjamin Donahue '98 with criminal mischief for allegedly shattering a Sigma Delt window in July.
Summer term had its share of tragedies as well.
Reese Prosser, a mathematics professor at the College for 30 years, died suddenly of a stroke at age 69 in June 30. He had suffered from a stroke the night before his death during a cello performance he was giving. Prosser was hospitalized that night and suffered a second fatal stroke the next morning.
Two Dartmouth alumni, Joshua Hane '89 and Chuck Drake '90, died while attempting a climb 14,570-foot Mount Hunter in Alaska's Denali National Park without a tent or sleeping bags.
Randall Smith, a 41-year- old Connecticut native, attempted suicide in his car at a College parking lot beside the Connecticut River in August.
Smith shot himself in the chest and then flagged down a police officer. He was taken to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment.
Hanover Police may have solved a mystery this summer. They arrested a New Hampshire state prosecutor in July for possession of stolen works of art including three prints stolen from the walls of Carpenter Hall.
Former Assistant Attorney General William McCallum of Londonderry was charged with eight counts of receiving stolen property and is awaiting the start of his trial in September.
Hood Museum Director Timothy Rub said the prints are "items with a relatively low value."
Two computers stolen from a Dartmouth student led to the discovery of the art pieces and the eventual capture of McCallum. A friend helping to set up the computers noticed that they were loaded with software registered to a student.
Dartmouth Dining Services had to defend the working conditions in Food Court when a DDS employee complained to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the working conditions behind the grill in Food Court were too hot.
OSHA conducted an extensive investigation but eventually cleared DDS of any wrongdoing.
Some student events were hampered by this year's unusually stormy summer.
Despite a cold drizzle, gray skies, gusty winds and threats of dangerous currents, about 300 students piled into the Connecticut River July 20 to participate in the 10th annual Tubestock.
The floating party had been threatened when the New England Power Company warned the river was flowing at more than four times its normal rate for that time of year. The conditions made the river more dangerous for people swimming and floating on tubes.
