I mean, Jesus. Branding people? Boot them now:
Dartmouth College is taking steps to boot the Alpha Delta fraternity from campus after brothers violated the hazing policy by burning the skin of 11 new members.
A Dartmouth judicial affairs committee determined last week that Alpha Delta members branded the new members over two nights in November. The school moved to impose a harsher than usual sanction because the fraternity was under suspension at the time for hosting an unregistered party in October -- while it was already on probation for an earlier violation. The college dean "is considering whether it is in the best interest of the Dartmouth College community to withdraw recognition of Alpha Delta, regardless of the outcome of any appeal," a college spokesperson told The Huffington Post.
Dartmouth's move to de-recognize a high-profile fraternity -- college President Philip J. Hanlon belonged as an undergraduate and the book and movie "Animal House" is largely based on Alpha Delta -- comes as the Hanover, New Hampshire, school vows to crack down on unruly behavior among Greek organizations. Loss of recognition means the fraternity would no longer be considered a "college approved" residential facility. The fraternity owns its house, but zoning laws limit how many people could legally reside there.
An attorney for Alpha Delta has defended the branding as a form of "self-expression" similar to tattoos or body piercings. The frat said the branding was "not organizational" and neither caused harm nor violated the terms of the previous suspension. The college said it did not find the frat's arguments compelling.
