SAE is the fourth Greek organization to face legal charges for serving alcohol to minors in the past week. Sigma Delta sorority, Psi Upsilon fraternity and Theta Delta Chi fraternity have all been accused of serving to minors, although the incident at SAE is the only one that followed an emergency response call.
Greek organization presidents will meet with Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone today to discuss what Hanover Police officers look for when they enter a Greek organization's physical plant and what the organizations can do to minimize risk, said Interfraternity Council President Tyler Brace '11, who confirmed that the charge stemmed from a Good Sam call.
"We are very worried about the precedent this sets," Brace said, explaining that the Good Sam policy will not work if students worry about repercussions to their organizations that follow from using it. "A central pillar of the Good Sam [policy] is that students will not be penalized for helping out fellow students."
If the College and the town are serious about harm reduction, they must support students in calling for a viable Good Sam policy that exists without the risk of penalties to student organizations, he said. Greek organizations will be "very careful" in coming weeks in the way they plan and manage events, Brace said.
Hanover Police accompanied Hanover Fire Department personnel responding to an emergency response call about an intoxicated 19-year-old female at the fraternity in the early hours of Oct. 2, according to a Hanover Police press release.
The female was unresponsive when emergency workers attempted to rouse her. A subsequent investigation found that the female had been playing pong at the fraternity with members of the organization, according to the release.
SAE president Brandon Floch '11 will appear before the Lebanon District Court on Nov. 1 to answer the charges, the release stated.
Other Greek officials echoed Brace's concern that this incident could deter students from calling Good Sam.
"That SAE is facing charges after trying to protect a fellow student's life makes me much more hesitant to use the Good Sam policy," the social chair of a Greek organization said, speaking not for attribution.
A president of another Greek organization said the "charge against SAE undermines the goal of the Good Sam policy by encouraging houses to prioritize their legal standing over the health of students."
In a Sept. 18 address, College President Jim Yong Kim stressed to the Class of 2014 that Dartmouth students must change their community's culture in order to prevent further harms from alcohol abuse.
"I want you to start a new culture in which if someone is getting in trouble, you will not turn your head," he said.
The Good Sam policy stipulates that students can call Safety and Security without the threat of College disciplinary action when an intoxicated student is in need of medical attention.
Safety and Security officers may call for emergency response if they deem it medically necessary, and Hanover Police may legally follow the ambulance to the location of the intoxicated individual and then to the hospital, which can lead to the student's arrest if he or she is underage, Safety and Security Sgt. David Hunt said in an interview.
Greek organizations, however, have not historically faced legal charges after placing Good Sam calls.
Hanover Police usually chooses to accompany medical responders to limit liability and allow for the fastest response time possible for emergency personnel, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"Our actions sort of fly in the face of what the students think the Good Sam Policy is there for," Giaccone said in a 2009 interview with The Dartmouth. Giaccone did not return calls for comment on Wednesday.
Kim said in his Sept. 18 address that his administration was "working very closely with the Hanover Police Department" to minimize possible harm to students as a result of alcohol consumption. At the time, Kim said that because of the recent high number of student arrests, Hanover Police may no longer approve of the policy that allows students to avoid their first arrest for underage drinking by completing the Alcohol Diversions program.
College administrators were unavailable for comment as of press time.
Hanover Police officers made multiple arrests the night of Sept. 18 and the early morning hours of Sept. 19, after which they issued three complaints for serving minors to Psi U and four to Theta Delt. An ensuing investigation revealed that four minors had obtained alcohol from the fraternities.
Arraignment dates for Psi U and Theta Delt are scheduled for Oct. 25 and Nov. 15, respectively.
Sigma Delt faces three charges for the same offense. An intoxicated 19-year-old was found to have been drinking at the sorority's physical plant on Sept. 21, prompting Hanover Police to file charges for that incident and two other arrests made last Spring.
The Tabard co-ed fraternity was charged with serving alcohol to minors in April, the first time in recent memory that a Greek organization as opposed to an individual was charged for the offense.
Last spring, Sigma Delt, the Tabard, and four other Greek organizations were investigated for providing alcohol to minors, but Hanover Police agreed at the time to drop all charges if the organizations complied with the law in the future.
On May 27, Hanover Police arrested an underage, intoxicated student who had been drinking at the Tabard, which resulted in Hanover Police filing both charges against the fraternity. Sigma Delt's president was issued an official warning from Hanover Police in May, which stated that any further violations of the New Hampshire liquor law would result in "prosecution for all cases, past and present."
Greek organizations are considered corporations under New Hampshire law, and can therefore be fined up to $100,000 for each felony charge of serving alcohol to minors.
Floch declined to comment for this article.
