The College has suspended Beta Alpha Omega fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority following the death of Won Jang ’26, College spokesperson Jana Barnello wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth. According to past reporting by The Dartmouth, Jang, a member of Beta, attended a joint social event with the two Greek organizations on Saturday evening. Authorities recovered Jang’s body from the Connecticut River on July 7.
Jang’s death prompted a police investigation into potential hazing, according to past reporting by The Dartmouth. In an interview with WMUR, Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis said the Department received an anonymous email alleging that hazing may have been involved. Barnello wrote that the College is “working closely” with Hanover Police as the Department leads the investigation into Jang’s death.
“The entire Dartmouth community is grieving over the tragic loss of Won Jang,” Barnello wrote. “Our counseling team has been by the family’s side since yesterday, and Dartmouth is providing every possible support it can to Won’s parents, family and friends.”
In a follow-up statement to The Dartmouth, Barnello wrote that Beta was on alcohol probation at the time of Jang’s death, following a suspension in the fall, winter and spring terms. APhi was placed on alcohol probation in the fall of 2023 before returning to “good standing,” Barnello added.
According to past reporting by The Dartmouth, the College imposes alcohol probation when Greek organizations are “found to have improperly served alcohol.” The restriction bars the affected organization from hosting or co-hosting events with alcohol. According to past reporting by The Dartmouth, the joint event with Beta and APhi involved alcohol.
An organization may be suspended for “repeated misconduct, or for misconduct found to be sufficiently serious to warrant stopping all activity for a specified number of terms,” according to past reporting by The Dartmouth. Suspension rules prohibit anyone except those currently living in Beta or APhi from entering the houses. Suspended Greek spaces are also prohibited from hosting events with other Greek houses.
Beta has now made its website private. The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine last captured the site shortly after 10 p.m. on July 9. The website contained pages with information about fraternity history and member biographies, which were last captured by the archive in 2022.
Executives in Beta and APhi did not respond to requests for comment in 15 minutes. Assistant Dean and Director of Greek Life Josh Gamse directed media requests to Barnello. Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
This article will be updated as The Dartmouth receives more information.
Update Appended (July 9, 6:22 p.m.): The article has been updated to include additional information from Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis.
Update Appended (July 9, 7:10 p.m.): This article has been updated with an additional statement from Barnello regarding past disciplinary action against Beta and APhi. The article has also been updated with additional information regarding the College’s suspension and alcohol probation procedures.
Update Appended (July 10, 7:36 p.m.): The article has been updated to provide information about Beta’s website.
