Psi Upsilon fraternity has been charged with serving alcohol to a minor, Hanover Police announced in a press release Thursday. The charge follows three other pending counts against the organization for serving alcohol to minors, stemming from incidents in September.
According to the release, a 17-year-old prospective student was the subject of a medical call for alcohol poisoning on Oct. 23. The minor a high school senior who was recruited for the College swim team was provided with beer and mixed drinks while visiting the fraternity, the release stated. The student was later found on the floor inside the Class of 1953 Commons and was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Earlier this term, three other Greek organizations Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Theta Delta Chi fraternities, and Sigma Delta sorority also received charges for serving alcohol to minors. The charges against SAE resulted in particular controversy among students, as they followed from a Good Samaritan call placed at the fraternity's physical plant.
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.
