Dartmouth College suspended two Greek organizations as police continue to investigate the link between possible hazing and the death of a 20-year-old fraternity brother over the weekend.
Won Jang, a 20-year-old rising junior, was pulled out of the Connecticut River on Sunday evening, hours after he’d been reported missing by witnesses. He was last seen alive at “an informal social gathering” around 9:30 p.m. the previous night, New Hampshire police previously said.
No foul play is suspected, but police said they’d received an anonymous tip that hazing had played a part in the biomedical engineering major’s death.
There is also “some evidence of alcohol involved,” Hanover Police Chief Charles Dennis told local ABC affiliate WMUR on Monday.
Dartmouth officials confirmed they’d suspended the fraternity Beta Alpha Omega and the sorority Alpha Phi as the investigation continued on Wednesday. A spokesperson told WCAX that the school was working closely with the Hanover Police Department.
Jang, a Middletown, Delaware native, was listed as a member of Beta on its website until Wednesday, when the domain was abruptly shuttered.
Both Beta and Alpha Phi were part of the social event, The Dartmouth reported on Tuesday.
A college spokesperson told the student newspaper that Beta had been on alcohol probation following a suspension in the fall. Alpha Phi had also been placed on probation around the same time, but had since returned to “good standing,” the spokesperson added.
The circumstances surrounding Beta’s probation last year remained unclear on Wednesday. An anonymous member described what led to it as an “accident,” but declined to go into further detail to The Dartmouth.