Lohse: Telling the Truth
By Andrew Lohse, Contributing Columnist
Published on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
We attend a strange school where a systemic culture of abuse exists under a college president who has the power and experience to change what can only be described as a public health crisis of the utmost importance: the endemic culture of physical and psychological abuse that occupies the heart of Dartmouth’s Greek community. President Jim Yong Kim’s sterling credentials in public health are fundamentally at odds with the pervasive hazing, substance abuse and sexual assault culture that dominates campus social life.
I understand these problems because I myself have endured them. If I were to fully enumerate all of the dehumanizing experiences my friends and I have survived here — experiences that were ironically advertised to us as indispensable elements of the “Dartmouth Experience” — I would have too few words left in this column to adequately explain how the Kim administration has not done enough to address these crises. They have yet to take decisive action to diagnose and cure the abuse that plagues Dartmouth.
I was a member of a fraternity that asked pledges, in order to become a brother, to: swim in a kiddie pool full of vomit, urine, fecal matter, semen and rotten food products; eat omelets made of vomit; chug cups of vinegar, which in one case caused a pledge to vomit blood; drink beers poured down fellow pledges’ ass cracks; and vomit on other pledges, among other abuses. Certainly, pledges could have refused these orders. However, under extreme peer pressure and the desire to “be a brother,” most acquiesced. While not every pledge is asked to do these things, many are. The specific tasks vary year to year, but these are things I’ve witnessed as a member of the fraternity.
As a pledge, I ceased to be a human being; instead, I became “whale shit.” In the process, I, my fellow pledges and all pledges since, have been implicitly encouraged to treat Dartmouth women with about the same respect with which we treated each other in our social spaces: none. Fraternity life is at the core of the College’s human and cultural dysfunctions.
I have also talked with fellow brothers who have privately expressed dismay and sometimes emotional or psychological pain about their experiences but have been unable to break the cycle of abuse they had been so tortured by; they participate in the rituals year to year. It is a cycle that, as I myself have experienced, is difficult to break even after deep introspection. One of the things I’ve learned at Dartmouth — one thing that sets a psychological precedent for many Dartmouth men — is that good people can do awful things to one other for absolutely no reason. There is an intoxicating nihilism at the center of our culture that fraternities perpetuate through pathological lies while continuing the abuses. Sadly, I have learned this through my experiences dealing with my former fraternity.
The truth is that my experience is not the exception, but rather the norm. The administration is fully aware of what goes on in our basements; I know this because I have had frank conversations with several high-level administrators. This column should not be a surprise to Dr. Kim, since it was David Spalding and April Thompson with whom I initially met and shared the troubling, graphic story of my experience as a Dartmouth man, replete with related media and places and times of future acts of hazing. Not enough was done: Hanover Police and the fraternity’s national organization were alerted, but the Hanover Police Department investigation only included an event that occurred outside of the house and was inconclusive. The national organization voiced strong complaints to two members over the summer — a development in July that seemed to me to be positive — but did not follow up its words with any kind of action or investigation.
And then the College’s action ended there. The administrators with whom I spoke claimed that they could do nothing more because I had asked to remain anonymous. I find that claim hard to believe. During my pledge term, the house came under serious scrutiny for hazing due to a tip trifling in comparison to the information I had provided them: In this case, a professor overheard two pledges in his class discussing vomiting milk. That inquiry involved interviews of pledges, who, at the suggestion of the house’s officers, offered preconceived, false denials.
It is my sincere hope that the administration can summon the courage to once and for all address the hazing and attendant assault culture that define the Greek experience at Dartmouth. The Greek system cannot continue this course, at my former fraternity or at others — its culture requires extensive oversight and restructuring.
Perhaps the College could begin by finally withdrawing its recognition of fraternities that brazenly flout the law, College policy and basic human decency. Perhaps Greek life could be integrated as coeducational, if not suspended indefinitely until a suitable, positive alternative is devised. A residential college system would uphold Dartmouth’s rich social tradition while respecting the humanity of students in a way that current Greek life does not. Systems similar to these have been implemented with great success at Dartmouth’s peer institutions.
I know firsthand that we need real change that addresses the causes of our culture of disrespect; we also need to forgive each other, forgive ourselves and have courage. We can end the abuse. It is a small college, but there are those of us who feel the need to tell the truth about it.
the first sentence of this article is an affront to the english language. the d could very likely be held liable under nh hazing statutes for subjecting its readers to such a depraved amalgamation of words.
By A. A. McKenzie on Jan 25 | 6:44 am
You mean to tell me that a bunch of super-smart ivy league kids can’t come up with more creative, humanizing ways to initiate someone into their organization? And that the administration refused to act because of requests for anonymity? As a female alum I guess I can say that now…I get why greek men were the way they were.
By eleazor on Jan 25 | 8:26 am
I’m shocked, shocked to find that hazing is going on in here.
By Renault ‘42 on Jan 25 | 9:04 am
I liked the Dartblog version better, it hit Jim Crime where it hurts!
By Rick 12 on Jan 25 | 9:53 am
Pledging a fraternity is voluntary. Just throwing that out there.
By Capt. Obvious on Jan 25 | 10:24 am
unfortunately, the Dartblog version wasn’t actually true. Too bad Joe Asch doesn’t have standards.
By d 11 on Jan 25 | 10:31 am
Perhaps the College could improve Greek life by expelling students that plead guilty or no contest to having done cocaine in common areas of their frat, physically attacking the student that turned them in, and engaging in witness tampering?
Where was Lohse on hazing before his “former fraternity” kicked him out?
The allegations here are awful, but come from a very tainted source who is both disgruntled and a criminal.
By Anon ‘05 on Jan 25 | 11:30 am
DRINK A BIG BEER
By Ingemar on Jan 25 | 11:50 am
C'mon, son. You solved this problem in your third graf… “Certainly, pledges could have refused these orders. However, under extreme peer pressure and the desire to “be a brother,” most acquiesced.” Don’t acquiesce to sub-human treatment. And don’t be in a frat.
By Anonymous on Jan 25 | 11:58 am
Lohse is a coward. If things like this really bother him he should have walk away. I had a great Dartmouth Experience, enjoyed the Greek system (though not a member)and feel that he had the choice to walk away at any point but decided not too.
By 2008 on Jan 25 | 12:21 pm
I don’t see anything wrong with what Lohse was made to do. Omelette full of vomit? That’s a Tuesday breakfast for me. Swimming in a kiddie pool full of piss, semen, and fecal matter? Welcome to my 21st birthday party! Drinking beers down ass cracks? In West Hollywood you have to pay for that pleasure! I would love to participate in these activities, they sound like an awesome time!
By Frat Bro on Jan 25 | 12:49 pm
I wonder if in his mind, this is a noble and revolutionary act. If you look at the comments of the article on other websites, guys are commenting that these pledge acts were nothing compared to what they had to do in their fraternities at their school. This isn’t a problem that is unique at Dartmouth, and quite frankly it’s a smaller problem here than at other schools. I hate it when people arbitrarily throw out that the administration needs to “take action.” Yes, JYK should have reacted, but is he expected to find a solution to the imbedded unhealthy drinking culture of America? We need to lower the drinking age and find a way to slowly phase out binge drinking and the culture that comes with it. Look at Europe and Asia; it’s not as big of a problem there.
By realist on Jan 25 | 2:06 pm
Read this article where the author (Andrew) was arrested for coke possession…I never joined a frat and he shouldnt have either if he was going to stab them in the back after getting in trouble for his own actions….
http://www.ivygateblog.com/2010/05/creative-dartmouth-fratboys-snort-coke-off-of-their-brothers-photographed-faces-urinate-on-their-socks-destroy-their-tables-police-confused/
By Anonymous on Jan 25 | 2:10 pm
Hazing of students!? What about the hazing of the English language in that first sentence? Those are crimes against humanity if you ask me.
By Chad Bro Chill on Jan 25 | 2:20 pm
Why is there is no mention in The Dartmouth that Andrew Lohse was brought up on felony cocaine charges and subsequently kicked out of the SAE fraternity he seemingly had no problem with beforehand? See below.
http://www.ivygateblog.com/2010/05/creative-dartmouth-fratboys-snort-coke-off-of-their-brothers-photographed-faces-urinate-on-their-socks-destroy-their-tables-police-confused/
What WILL be interesting is seeing Mr. Lohse adapt to the real world in 6 months. My guess is that he will be moving back to Vermont to live with mommy and daddy given his aversion to corporate recruiting. See below.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/seeing-red-at-the-big-green/
By WTF on Jan 25 | 2:23 pm
Dear Hiring Manager considering hiring Mr. Andrew Lohse for a job,
Mr. Lohse will apply to join your company/institution. If you hire him, he will bring disgrace to your institution, just as he did when he embarrassed Dartmouth and SAE by bringing cocaine onto campus, facilitating open drug use, and then harassing the witnesses then report him to the police. If you punish him by suspending him or putting him on probation, he’ll feign acceptance. Then, as he prepares to depart your institution, he’ll fabricate crimes and civil violations in an effort to further humiliate you.
Do yourself a favor: don’t hire Andrew Lohse. His track record of fabrication, bridge-burning, disregard for the law and society, and bloated sense of self-righteousness speaks for itself.
By anon on Jan 25 | 2:57 pm
Everyone is arguing about the wrong things. I don’t see the importance of the dialogue and speculation on past records, the individual’s or administration’s capacity for telling the truth, or the motivations underlying the various parties' intentions.
As a member of a house on campus, I’m able to verify Lohse’s allegations. All of these ‘rituals’ are definitely true; I’ve personally experienced some of them myself and have heard accounts from close friends who have witnessed the rest. Those who discredit Lohse’s descriptions either 1) simply aren’t aware that things of this nature occur on campus; or 2) do not want to admit what they already know.
The important question is whether our Dartmouth community is okay with these events which are parts of our basements. It should not be centered around whose fault it is and why these things are being said. The fact that hundreds of Dartmouth students have tolerated ‘this truth’ as part of our Greek Life system is what should be most troubling.
Let’s start answering the important questions.
By The Llama on Jan 25 | 4:12 pm
As a subtle SAE troll you should know that everything in Lohse’s article happened. any company would be proud to hire him
By @anon on Jan 25 | 4:14 pm
While I absolutely agree with Mr. Lohse that this type of behavior is despicable and needs to be addressed systemically, I question his challenge to the Dartmouth administration to “summon the courage” to face this problem (particularly given his own desire to remain anonymous during the early investigation). My impression is that the administration was not lacking in courage, but rather in the ability to take broader action in the face of an anonymous complaint and refusal of other students to come forward. I applaud Mr. Lohse’s willingness to speak now, for he will surely face backlash, but let’s direct our anger towards the problem itself, not towards those working for a solution.
By Anonymous on Jan 25 | 5:26 pm
@anon: That may be true, but companies don’t like whistleblowers. (I’m not saying Lohse’s allegations are false – I’m fairly sure they are indeed true)
By @ @anon on Jan 25 | 6:43 pm