Amidst the media firestorm incited by recent hazing allegations against Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the subsequent College charges against the fraternity and 27 of its members, Vice President for Alumni Relations Martha Beattie '76 sent an email obtained by The Dartmouth to members of Dartmouth's Alumni Council on Tuesday addressing potential concerns about hazing at Dartmouth and the recent increase in national press coverage of the issue.
"You may already have been contacted by your constituents with questions or concerns involving this press, or you may be in the future as we expect at least one more article to appear soon in Rolling Stone magazine," Beattie said in the email.
In her email, Beattie included three links to recently published pieces about the hazing allegations made by former SAE member Andrew Lohse '12 in January a March 2 article from The Boston Globe, a March 6 letter to the editor submitted by College President Jim Yong Kim to The Globe and a March 13 article from the Associated Press. The email also included a letter from Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson that was sent in a campus-wide email on Jan. 25 following the initial publication of Lohse's allegations in The Dartmouth.
"My hope is that they will help you to understand the administration's policy towards hazing and will prepare you for any questions or comments you may receive," Beattie said in the email.
National news outlets including CBS News, Fox News and ABC News have picked up the article written by the AP, which summarized Lohse's allegations and the subsequent College and media responses. The article also included interviews with Johnson, Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone and two Dartmouth students, as well as an email from SAE president Brendan Mahoney '12 discussing the administration's response. Prior to the surge in coverage, the story was featured in news outlets including the Valley News and The Huffington Post.
