Dartmouth Sorority and 2 Fraternity Members Are Charged After Student’s Drowning

The 20-year-old student died this summer after attending an off-campus party. The fraternity members and sorority were charged with offenses related to providing alcohol to minors.

A Dartmouth College sorority and two fraternity members have been charged with underage alcohol offenses in the death of a 20-year-old student who drowned after attending an off-campus party this summer.

The authorities said the student, Won Jang, attended the party hosted by the sorority Alpha Phi on July 6. Most people at the gathering, including Mr. Jang, were underage and drank alcohol that was provided by members of Mr. Jang’s fraternity, Beta Alpha Omega.

Alpha Phi was charged with a misdemeanor for hosting a party where underage drinking occurred, according to a Friday news release from the police department in Hanover, N.H., where Dartmouth’s campus is. Two members of Beta Alpha Omega, who are not underage, were each charged with a misdemeanor for supplying alcohol to attendees under 21, the release said.

On the night of the party, several attendees went swimming in the Connecticut River, which runs along Hanover, the police said. Many departed when a heavy rainstorm hit, but Mr. Jang, who his family said could not swim, was left behind.

Mr. Jang was found dead in the river the day after the party, the authorities said. The medical examiner’s office determined that the cause of death was drowning, and a toxicology report found that Mr. Jang had a blood alcohol level that indicated he was likely to have been significantly impaired.

Lt. Michael Schibuola of the Hanover Police Department said the police had investigated whether hazing had contributed to Mr. Jang’s death but ultimately determined it had not.

Dartmouth immediately suspended Alpha Phi and Beta Alpha Omega and began an internal investigation after Mr. Jang’s death, Jana Barnello, a spokeswoman for the school, said in a statement. She said that Greek organizations “have a responsibility to ensure Dartmouth remains a safe, respectful, equitable and inclusive community.”

Ms. Barnello added that the school could not comment on individual disciplinary matters. Representatives of the college chapter and national organization of Alpha Phi could not be reached for comment on Sunday. The students who were charged were also not reachable.

Eric Wilson, a lawyer for one of the students, wrote in a statement to the student newspaper, The Dartmouth, that the allegations that his client had provided alcohol to underage individuals “appears to be unrelated to the tragedy that occurred hours later.”

He added that his client “was a devoted friend to Won and remains heartbroken over his passing.”

At the time of Mr. Jang’s death, the fraternity was on alcohol probation after a three-term suspension that lasted through the spring. The sorority had also been on alcohol probation in the fall of 2023, but it was lifted by the time of the party.

Mr. Jang was a biomedical engineering major from Delaware and a member of the class of 2026, according to his memorialized LinkedIn profile. As an undergraduate, he was active in entrepreneurship and research, the profile said. He also mentored international students and was a part of the school’s student band scene.

Lydia Jin, who was Mr. Jang’s girlfriend, told NBC News after his death that he had aspirations of making a significant impact in the scientific world, perhaps by winning a Nobel Prize or curing Alzheimer’s. She said he “was the kindest person that I knew.”

Lieutenant Schibuola said that he had met directly with Mr. Jang’s family and that they wanted to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring again. He said the police had worked with Dartmouth to improve safety near the river since Mr. Jang’s death.

“This is a very tragic event,” he said in an interview. “Hopefully the message gets out to members of the Greek community and the college in general that you have to be responsible.”