Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity has been sentenced to three terms of College probation following investigations into hazing allegations filed against the fraternity in October, according to a hazing report published by the Office of Judicial Affairs on Wednesday. The probation, effective this winter, prohibits Alpha Phi Alpha from engaging in new member recruitment or education activities until next fall, according to the report.
The Organizational Adjudication Committee determined that Alpha Phi Alpha violated Standards I and II of the College Student Handbook. Standard I prohibits any action that causes physical harm to others, while Standard II states that "student organizations must not engage in behavior that threatens the safety, security or functioning of the College."
Members of the Office of Judicial Affairs and Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson declined to comment on the report.
Yesuto Shaw '15 filed the report against Alpha Phi Alpha on Oct. 9. In a column published in The Dartmouth's Mirror magazine on Oct. 19, Shaw described his initiation process, during which he claimed that he and other new members were physically and mentally hazed.
New fraternity members were forced to do "countless push-ups and other exercises" with objects placed on their backs to weigh them down, Shaw said in an interview. Pledges were also hit on the chest with a plastic serving spoon and prohibited from talking to friends outside the fraternity.
Members of Alpha Phi Alpha did not respond to requests for comment.
Shaw said that he is satisfied with the punishment that Alpha Phi Alpha received and is happy that the consequences are not disproportionately harsh.
"I wasn't hoping that they would get really strict punishments, but that they would really see that certain aspects of their initiation were wrong and need to be changed," Shaw said. "I felt the way the College has dealt with it is really all the College can do to cause Alpha Phi Alpha to bring about that change."
Further consequences for Alpha Phi Alpha include the formation of an advisory board comprising of two local alumni, one representative of the national fraternity and a faculty member. The board will meet monthly for the next two years to implement and oversee a new plan for member selection and education.
This board will work closely with Director of Greek Letter Organizations and Societies Wes Schaub to revise recruitment to make sure the process does not violate College policies.
Schaub did not respond to requests for comment.
If Alpha Phi Alpha does not comply with the guidelines stipulated in the hazing report, the College could revoke its recognition.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was placed on a three-term College probation last spring for violating Standard I in 2009. Current Sigma Alpha Epsilon President Michael Fancher '13 said their probation was "worded to sound worse than it actually was."
"We were on six weeks of social probation and two terms of basically saying don't mess up,' and we didn't," Fancher said. "College probation is pretty standard. It's not infrequent for a frat to be on probation."
The requirement that Alpha Phi Alpha create an external advisory board was similar to one of the conditions in SAE's sanctions, Fancher said. SAE national representatives and fraternity alumni, however, consider the current advisory board as an unsuccessful and unnecessary effort, and the college regulator placed on the board has only been involved in two of the seven meetings, Fancher said.
Fancher said that the campus-wide email and report published on the Office of Judicial Affairs' website are very vague about the specific activities that resulted in disciplinary action for Alpha Phi Alpha.
"I can't judge whether the punishment is fair or not, because I don't know what happened," Fancher said.
Fancher said that in the campus-wide email regarding hazing at Sigma Alpha Epsilon sent in April 2012, Associate Dean of Campus Life April Thompson was very specific in detailing what activities led to the fraternity's probation.
Shaw said that Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically black fraternity, has had an influential role on black students on campus, especially through organizing cultural events that are not found elsewhere.
"I hope the added oversight the College is imposing will be beneficial, and they won't attempt to continue to do things in the background, in the dark, behind the back of the advisory board," Shaw said. "But I hope they will continue to play an influential role on campus."
