An off-campus sorority party near Dartmouth College that was supposed to be a lively, light-hearted mixer instead transformed into tragedy and scandal after a 20-year-old student, Won Jang, drowned.
According to authorities, Mr. Jang consumed alcohol at the party, along with other mostly underage attendees. Authorities said the alcohol was brought to the party by Mr. Jang’s fraternity Beta Alpha Omega. The party was hosted by the Alpha Phi sorority.
Now, the sorority and two fraternity members have been charged with providing alcohol to underage students, after Won Jang drowned at the summer party held off-campus.
The Alpha Phi sorority was charged with a misdemeanor for hosting the party with alcohol present since the summer party included many underage students. The two fraternity brothers, who are of legal age, were charged with supplying alcohol to party attendees under the legal age of 21.
The Hanover, New Hampshire, police report that they discovered the body of Mr. Jang on July 7, “after his body was recovered in the Connecticut River.”
“The party took place at an off-campus apartment building which was being rented by several members of the sorority,” said the Hanover police in a public statement. “Most of the attendees, to include Jang, were under 21 years of age and were consuming alcoholic beverages. The alcohol at the parry was purchased and provided by members of Beta Alpha Omega Fraternity that were over 21 years of age.”
When the party ended, numerous students decided to go for a swim in the Connecticut River. While swimming, a heavy rainstorm hit the river and area, separating the swimmers, many of whom left the scene. None of the swimmers realized Mr. Jang did not leave the river.
“No one in these groups noticed that Jang was unaccounted for,” according to the police department’s media release. “It was confirmed via multiple interviews, to include Jang's family, that he could not swim.”
After Mr. Jang’s death, the autopsy report conducted by the New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner's Office determined that Jang's cause of death was drowning. The toxicology report found that Jang's blood alcohol level was .167, which is considered extremely high and dangerous. The effects of such a high alcohol level may lead to a high risk of inadequate breathing, loss of bladder control, and possibly loss of consciousness.
The two over-21 Beta Alpha Omega fraternity members charged are Matthew Catrambone and Samuel Terry. They are charged with one misdemeanor each for providing alcohol to persons under 21 years of age (NH RSA 179:5). The Alpha Phi Sorority was also charged as a corporation for one misdemeanor violation of facilitating an underage alcohol house party (RSA 644:18).
Dartmouth College released a statement when the incident occurred, saying, “Dartmouth has long valued the contributions that Greek organizations bring to the student experience, when they are operating within their stated values and standards. These organizations, as well as all Dartmouth students and community members, have a responsibility to ensure Dartmouth remains a safe, respectful, equitable, and inclusive community for students, faculty, and staff.”
The college suspended both the fraternity and sorority.
Nonprofit organization Stop Hazing reports that hazing and other fraternity and sorority events often turn dangerous or deadly, due to drinking and other activities.
Stop Hazing reports that, “73% of students involved in social fraternities or sororities experienced behaviors meeting the definition of hazing in order to join or maintain membership in their group. The most common hazing behaviors included participating in a drinking game (53%); singing or chanting in public in a situation that is not a related event, game, or practice (31%); drinking large amounts of alcohol to the point of getting sick or passing out (26%); being awakened at night by other members (19%); and being yelled, screamed, or cursed at by other members (18%).”
When the tragic death of Mr. Jang occurred, the fraternity had just completed a three-year suspension and alcohol probation. The sorority had also been on alcohol probation since the Fall of 2023, but that probation was lifted by the date of the summertime party.
