News
Theta Delta Chi received a warning from the College after the Coed Fraternity Sorority Judicial Committee found the house to have violated the College's group accountability policy during Summer term.
According to a College press release issued yesterday, following a hearing before Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco on August 19, the fraternity was found responsible for actions that threatened the safety of an undergraduate who was at the house on the evening of July 3.
Turco said she could not comment on the hearing other than to say that it "involved an incident where shaving cream was sprayed on property as well as individuals, as well as exchanges of threats and insulting speech."
The College's group accountability policy "acknowledges that unacceptable behavior by individuals functioning as members or officers of a student organization has consequences for those individuals as well as the organization," the release states.
The CFSJC found the fraternity to have violated the College's Code of Conduct by engaging in behavior which threatened the security of a member of the College.
The fraternity was also found to have violated the alcohol policy by allowing the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages by individuals under the legal drinking age and failing to register the July 3 event.
"The fraternity was also found to have failed to live up to is Statement of Purpose," according to the release.
According to the release, Turco imposed five sanctions on the fraternity and the failure to fulfill the expectations may result in further sanctions.
The first sanction required the fraternity's summer president, Damon Ferrara '98 to write a private letter of apology on behalf of Theta Delt to the student who was involved in the incidents by August 23.
Another sanction required the fraternity to develop and implement a new method of addressing social situations that occur in the house by the end of September.
Under the sanctions the fraternity had to re-examine and, if necessary, rewrite its Statement of Purpose.
Ferrara said, "After reviewing our house's statement of purpose we found nothing needs to be changed, rather we just need to better live up to our existing guidelines."
A fourth sanction required Theta Delt to pay a $100 fine for its violation of the Dartmouth Alcohol Policy.
The last sanction requires Theta Delt to invite and consult with an individual with expertise on organizational liability and accountability by October 18.
The release states the undergraduate members of the fraternity must be educated about their responsibilities regarding problematic situations with members and guests of the fraternity.
Ferrara refused to comment on the incident, but wrote in an e-mail message, "I think the sanctions we received were very fair and appropriate."
"I know that our entire house regrets our involvement in the incident, which was the result of miscommunication and poor judgment," he wrote.
