The tragic drowning death of 20-year-old Dartmouth College student Won Jang in July has led to charges being brought against two juniors and the Alpha Phi Sorority (APhi) by the Hanover Police Department for alcohol-related misdemeanors. While Jang’s death is heartbreaking, targeting his classmates with underage drinking charges seems inappropriate.
Jang’s body was recovered by officers on July 7 following a missing persons report filed the same day, as reported by The Dartmouth. The night before, Jang, a member of the Beta Alpha Omega Fraternity (Beta), attended a party hosted by APhi off-campus. During the party, Jang and others decided to swim in the river, but a sudden rainstorm caused tragic consequences.
Jang, who couldn’t swim according to his family, was left behind in the river as other partygoers left. The toxicology report revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.167, indicating impaired judgment and motor skills. Despite initial suspicions of hazing, the police ruled Jang’s death an accidental drowning in September.
Following their investigation, the Hanover Police Department charged two Beta members with providing alcohol to minors and APhi with facilitating an underage alcohol house party. Despite the college’s own events that involve underage drinking, APhi and Beta have been suspended since July 9 pending an internal investigation by Dartmouth.
The charges against the Beta members, who were social chairs responsible for event planning and alcohol procurement, were related to a pregame event before their registered party with APhi. The incident at the river was not part of any organized tradition or hazing ritual.
Many in the Dartmouth community have criticized the charges, emphasizing that underage drinking is prevalent at fraternity events and shouldn’t be solely blamed for the tragedy. It is clear that neither hazing nor coercion played a role in Jang’s death.
Targeting Beta’s social chairs and APhi for underage drinking does not serve justice but unfairly singles out two individuals and a sorority for a tragic event that was neither intentional nor malicious.
