This story by John Lippman was first published in the Valley News on Nov. 23.
HANOVER — Two Dartmouth College students and a Greek organization have been criminally charged with furnishing alcohol to a 20-year-old Dartmouth student who drowned in the Connecticut River following a party at a college sorority in July.
Matthew Catrambone and Samuel Terry, both members of the Beta Alpha Omega fraternity, have each been charged with a single misdemeanor count of providing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age and were served summons to appear at Lebanon District Court, according to a news release Hanover police issued late Friday afternoon.
They are being charged in connection with the drowning death of Won Jang, a sophomore and member of the class of 2026, whose body was found in the Connecticut River on July 7 following a social event held among members of the fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority.
In addition, a misdemeanor violation of facilitating an underage alcohol house has been brought against the Alpha Phi sorority itself, the news release said.
Jang, a biomedical engineering major who had been class valedictorian at his high school in Delaware, attended a party at an off-campus apartment building that was rented to members of the Alpha Phi sorority, according to Hanover police.
The majority of partygoers, including Jang, were under 21 and were drinking alcoholic beverages, which had been bought and provided by members of Beta Alpha Omega fraternity who were older than 21, police said.
As the party neared its end, several of the attendees “made a spontaneous decision” to go swimming in the river from the boat docks near Ledyard Bridge.
While the students were swimming a “heavy rainstorm hit the area,” causing the students to get out of the water quickly and disperse, according to the news release.
But no one noticed that Jang — whom police confirmed did not know how to swim — was unaccounted for.
Jang was last seen around 9:30 p.m. near the docks. When he failed to appear for an engagement the next day, police were contacted and a search launched on the river, where his body was recovered.
An autopsy report by the N.H. Chief Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Jang’s cause of death was drowning. The toxicology report found that his blood alcohol level was 0.167, more than twice the legal limit for those of drinking age.
Two days after Jang’s death Dartmouth suspended both Alpha Phi and Beta Alpha Omega — both Greek organizations previously had been placed on alcohol probation for prior incidents — and an internal investigation was initiated.
The suspensions remain in effect pending the outcome of Dartmouth’s internal investigation and conduct process, which is still ongoing, Jana Barnello, spokeswoman for Dartmouth, said via email on Friday.
“Dartmouth has long valued the contributions that Greek organizations bring to the student experience, when they are operating within their stated values and standards,” Barnello said. “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.”
Federal law prohibits the college from discussing “individual disciplinary matters,” she said.
Three months before Jang drowned, the body of a 26-year-old female graduate student who was reported to be suffering from a mental health crisis was found in the river near Windsor.
Dartmouth administrators sent out a student-wide email on Thursday night acknowledging “the tragic student deaths on the river.”
The message announced several new initiatives focused on mental health and improved wellness programming for students. Included among the efforts was “free swimming lessons.”
Additionally, Dartmouth said it beefed up security patrols near the river “particularly at night” and “improved lighting and signage around the swimming docks.”
Dartmouth also said it will enhance “mandatory water-safety training” for all incoming students, hire a director of Greek Life and Student Societies, review the Alcohol Management Program “to ensure it is effective and reflects the reality of today’s student experiences,” and expand “risky-behavior prevention efforts on campus.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Two Dartmouth students, sorority face charges tied to July drowning.