A Rolling Stone article chronicling hazing at Dartmouth has been published in the April 12 edition of the magazine. Rolling Stone contributing editor Janet Reitman spoke with numerous students and several professors for the piece, which focuses largely on the experiences of former Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity member Andrew Lohse '12.
The article comes on the heels of hazing allegations leveled against SAE by Lohse in a January opinion column in The Dartmouth, in which Lohse argued that the Greek system perpetuates "pervasive hazing, substance abuse and sexual assault." The issue of fraternity hazing at the College has been covered by several national news publications, including the Associated Press and The Boston Globe.
The article, which spans 10 pages, examines Lohse's claim that "fraternity life is at the core of the college's human and cultural dysfunctions" and that hazing is the main method by which this dysfunction is perpetuated. Reitman discusses methods of fraternity hazing focusing on those described to her by Lohse that allegedly took place at SAE ranging from pledges being forced to consume copious amounts of alcohol to "ritualized vomiting."
The piece focuses on Lohse's transformation from an impressionable freshman who idolized the "high-achieving, hard-drinking, fraternal ethos of the Dartmouth Man," to one who was determined to expose the fraternity culture to which he had subscribed. Reitman details Lohse's involvement in SAE, from his experiences pledging and being hazed, to charges made against him of cocaine possession and witness tampering.Members and former members of several other Dartmouth fraternities, including Zeta Psi and Sigma Nu, spoke to Reitman about their negative opinions of the Greek system.
Reitman argues that the fraternity system at Dartmouth represents a deeply entrenched power structure that reaches far beyond members' years at the College. She quotes a member of SAE arguing that fraternity connections can be more important than academic credentials in building a career after Dartmouth.
"Having a 3.7 and being the president of a hard-guy frat is far more valuable than having a 4.0 and being independent when it comes to going to a place like Goldman Sachs," he said.
