SHOCKING: Dartmouth Hazing Said To Include Eating 'Vomit Omelets,' Swimming In Unimaginable Filth

One might imagine that joining a college frat or sorority is an all-access pass to kick-ass parties, meaningful friendships that last a lifetime, and a rolodex full of alumni connections. Just note that, to grab that all-access pass, you might have to swim through a kiddie pool filled with vomit, semen, and excrement.

So says the latest in a string of damaging accounts of college hazing at Dartmouth by Andrew Lohse '12, a student at the New Hampshire Ivy League school, in a soon-to-be-published op-ed in Dartmouth's The D.

Gawker scooped the story and has yet to verify the authenticity of the op-ed, but there have been other op-eds by Lohse which have stirred up controversy in the college ranks.

But what Lohse documents here (if in-fact this is his op-ed, and if there's some truth to it), is simply shocking.

Among my many experiences as a fraternity pledge, I was: forced to swim in a kiddie pool full of vomit, urine, fecal matter, semen, and rotten food products; forced to eat an omelet made of vomit; forced to chug cups of vinegar until I was afraid that I would vomit blood like one of my fellow pledges did; forced to inhale nitrous oxide; degraded psychologically on a daily basis; forced to drink beers poured down a fellow pledge’s ass crack; vomited on regularly, and encouraged to vomit on others.

Seems like, if true, the architects of Dartmouth's Greek pledging system have been hitting the school library and brushing up on their Marquis de Sade. Submerging some poor soul in a pool of filth or making him eat a vomit omelet is in line with the kind of behavior that helped Abu Ghraib make international headlines, and not the kind of behavior you'd expect to see at one of the nation's highest-rated schools. But hazing/bullying in college keeps cropping up in the news, and it is causing concern across the country about our college culture and its values, and the safety (and sanity) of students.

Lohse's op-ed continues:

The administration is fully aware of what goes in 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. [Jim Yong] Kim, [Dartmouth president], since it was with one of his Vice Presidents and one of his Deans with whom I initially met and shared the troubling, graphic story of my experience as a Dartmouth man, replete with pictures, text, video, and dates, times, and places of future acts of hazing. This Vice President vowed that the information I provided him would cross Dr. Kim’s desk, and assured me that something would be done about it. Either it did not, or the administration realized that to act would require a courage they lacked -- courage that is required of all college administrations under New Hampshire state law.

Such shocking accusations will need to be supported by Lohse with exactly the pictures, text, video, dates and times he's claimed to have provided Dartmouth's administration for his claims to have any true heft or merit. And caution should be urged in taking Lohse's account for absolute truth until something a bit more damning than an op-ed surfaces. But, if true, Lohse's account could have a sweeping effect on the way college administrations view their Greek systems.

Have you had a horrendous hazing experience? Let's hear it in the comments below. How did the experience affect you? Would you have bathed in a kiddie pool of urine, vomit, semen, fecal matter and who knows what else if your prospective frat or sorority demanded you do so in order to join?

Comments

[Pointless Agony]

02:16 PM on 04/12/2012

I don't blame fraternities for presenting these types of behaviors, I blame the stupid pledges who would put themselves through such degradation for what? Parties, groupies, "friends," and lost of dignity.

[Vladimir1987]

06:40 PM on 01/31/2012

A kid with an ax to grind against the Greek system. Who joins a frat and then collects "...pictures, text, video, and dates, times, and places of future acts of hazing" as evidence?

You'd think a Dartmouth student would be smart enough to say, "No, I'm not doing that." More likely Lohse was trying to make a journalistic name for himself at the expense of local frats. Next stop - a segment on "The View" and a Times interview!

[CENG90]

12:14 AM on 02/01/2012

I agree with you. I think this guy had it out for the fraternity. It's possible he genuinely started pledging and after going through some hazing decided to stick around and get them busted. But typically fraternities don't begin doing horrendous hazing until later in the pledge term, so the candidates feel like they have invested too much time into the process and continue until initiation. My chapter had a similar situation a few years before I was initiated, where a candidate purposely pledged just so he could find evidence of hazing. However, what was considered hazing involved early morning beach runs and some heavy drinking. Personally, I wasn't subjected to any hazing that I felt was crossing the line. Was that stuff fun? No. But there were somethings we did that made me a better and stronger person, and I would do it all over again in a heart beat.

[FaustianPleasures]

08:19 PM on 08/03/2012

While I would normally agree with you, if these allegations are true, then we do not have a case of normal hazing on our hands. We have something that is quite literally a human rights violation. It would make absolute sense for someone to do what Andrew Lohse did, if in fact his documentation backs him up. If the other pledges decided to go through with this for initiation, then that's good for them. But people who are rushing have no idea what they are getting into. It is in no way fair for people to find out this is what they have to do to be initiated when they are already pledges, and feel trapped because they have already gone so far to be initiated. Furthermore, Dartmouth has a right to know about this, because these people are first and foremost Dartmouth students, and Dartmouth must make sure that their students are safe physically AND psychologically. And before you say anything about how I must have an axe to grind against the Greek system, too, I must inform you that I am a PROUD member of the Greek system at Brown.

[goku7675]

12:30 AM on 01/27/2012

Death: 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related drinking

Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009).

Assault: 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (Hingson et al., 2009).

Sexual Abuse: 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2009).

Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex (Hingson et al., 2002).

Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.

Drunk Driving: 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009).

Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: 31 percent of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and It all starts with the binge drinking and massive amount of alcohol and then goes on from there.

[goku7675]

01:48 AM on 01/28/2012

Just a note--these were figures in 2009. With the popularity of facebook and the advertisement of bar's specials made directly to students via facebook private messaging, all of these figures are on the rise. 2012 will see many more instances of tragedy related to binge drinking

[jim kim wright]

12:49 PM on 01/26/2012

hmm... perhaps the "vomelette" explains Geithner's (frat name = tiny tim) and Paulson's (frat name + hammering hank) legendary halitosis - wonder which dartmouth alum will be the next treasury secretary? (I hear that corzine's available even though he didn't make the cut for the big green)...

[goku7675]

12:09 PM on 01/26/2012

Students who attend colleges and become members of frats and sororities share a common feeling that they have to "protect" the right to do whatever they please with their pledges. Binge drinking always plays a role in all Greek organizations and it's time for university administrations to stand up and do something about this. The Greek system is the "leader" in partying and drinking to absolute black out. Many times these students "dumb down" their majors so they can handle the drinking.

[hopein2012]

12:57 AM on 01/27/2012

seriously? dumbing down their majors? i don't think so.

[goku7675]

02:36 PM on 01/27/2012

There are stats to support this. Typically once a student enters a Greek organization they change their major to something a little easier to achieve. Over the last 4 years the binge drinking has been on the increase substantially, especially among women. I was a member of a sorority and the Greek system has changed so much that anyone who is considering a difficult major should avoid membership.

[healthanalyst]

03:04 AM on 01/28/2012

The Fraternity system at Texas had a legendary test file going back decades of exams by professors and classes. Last chance, have somebody else in the frat take the exam for you. Cheating was rampant among the Greeks.

[EqualTime]

10:16 AM on 01/26/2012

To me, this is too much to be believed, and is in the UFO, Bigfoot.Loch Ness and Iraqi WMD category until the author provides proof.

Clearly, some frats continue to haze, regrettably. Delta Upsilon has been a non-hazing fraternity since its founding in 1834. I assume some might have stories about drinking rituals, some of which I've read in the paper and addressed on the DU website, however, I believe, by and large, DU lives up to its non-hazing promise.

[gtg007w]

10:10 AM on 01/26/2012

I was lucky to go through a greek experience with no hazing, but have to admit, I've heard some sick stuff going on in other fratenities in the same campus. It is so easy for college age men to spiral down a bad road without having any realization that it's a bad idea though - especially if you're surrounded by a culture that promotes and glamourizes alcohol blackouts and doing stupid things for the sake of doing stupid things to get cred within the fraternity or to justify what you're doing is cool because it is the thing to do as a greek men and such. I've seen split opinion on this even within my very own chapter and I think we were safe for the most part relatively speaking, so it won't shock me if there's some truth to this, though I hope that men in Dartmouth are not so stupid to commit this level of stupidity in the age of social media when anything can be captured and shared.

[ricchh]

10:05 AM on 01/26/2012

The Greek life at Dartmouth and Cornell is sick and reprehensible.

[Ascare26]

04:20 AM on 01/26/2012

I was in a sorority at a large CA state school. There was no hazing for the girls, and only the intense guys did hazing. So dumb.

However in some ways I don't like the hazing rules. Technically now its considered hazing to do every little thing, so parts of our ritual/traditions (yes its called that, I know very cult like) have to be altered. Its just a bit sad because they aren't "hazing" and we want to be able to do the original ceremonies that our founders did over 100 yrs ago.

An example is now a photo scavenger hunt is considered hazing unless a certain number of girls are there.

[Charli Fool Bear]

12:55 AM on 01/26/2012

As a Dartmouth student, this is all kinds of embarrassing.

[hopein2012]

02:25 AM on 01/26/2012

don't worry i doubt many people are reading about it.

[rabbity]

08:46 AM on 02/19/2012

I am reading it and I have no connection to Dartmouth or fraternities.

[susanlipkins]

10:16 PM on 01/25/2012

As a psychologist and author of Preventing Hazing I can verify the fact that events as described in this op-ed do occur on college campuses on a daily basis. In fact, these events are not even the "worst." Authorities do know about the hazing rituals, and relatively little is done to stop it on most campuses. The "code of silence" is well maintained by those who haze.
For further info on hazing please visit my website: www.insidehazing.com

[Dartmouth13]

10:00 PM on 01/25/2012

In addition, I would recommend to everybody not familiar with any of the background of Dartmouth, hazing, or the author himself read the following three articles. Two on The Dartmouth newspaper website entitled "Lohse: Look at For Each Other", and op-ed piece written less than four months ago encouraging people to join a fraternity as well as "Four Arrested after Drug Incident at SAE", which details the charges of felony witness tampering and drug possession on Lohse's record. Finally, in case anybody is curious as to a potential motive, I would recommend reading Business Insider's interview entitled "Dartmouth Student Who Wrote Op-Ed Exposing Frat Hazing is Planning to Write a Book." A much clearer picture of this article emerges.

[Quis Custodiet]

02:31 AM on 01/26/2012

0 Fans.
Dartmouth 13
2:2 Posts are on this thread and both are character attacks on Lohse which are irrelevant to this article.

So, which year active are you? Secondly: were you picked for being the best able to write in English in what almost looks like a sentence?

[hopein2012]

02:51 AM on 01/26/2012

lol you and your grammar fetish

[Dartmouth13]

10:08 AM on 01/26/2012

I'll respond to both of your comments point by point.

First, my sincerest of apologies for venturing into the comments section of an article I wished to respond to. I will certainly think twice before venturing into the territory of "HuffPost Super Users." I am also sorry that you don't like my writing style and/or potential grammar misusage. It is, however, amusing that your two comments both criticize me for an ad hominem attack while attempting to discount my comments by noting my HuffPost relevancy and question my "English." Finally, the year I am is in my user name Dartmouth '13, which would make me a junior.

In regard to the actual comments, my questioning of Mr. Lohse's character (which I do agree, is ad hominem to an extent) is not meant to distract readers from the substance of this article but rather to provide context. If you had read the articles I had endorsed, you would notice that one of them, dated October 2011, is an Op-Ed encouraging people to rush a fratnernity/sorority published a full two years after he joined a fraternity. Only three months later, he publishes a complete about face alienating all those he claimed he "stuck together with."

[Dartmouth13]

09:51 PM on 01/25/2012

I am a student at Dartmouth and a member of a fraternity there. While I am not in SAE, the type of stuff described by Lohse in his article is pure hyperbole. I am familiar with the rituals of various fraternities and can assure all the concerned people that neither I, nor anybody I know, has gone swimming in a "poo poo pool." The allegations presented are close to downright lies and I would encourage everybody to read the administration's response to this article, as well as look into the previous fraternal, disciplinary and legal issues that the supposedly righteous Andrew Lohse has accumulated over his time at Dartmouth.

[hopein2012]

11:18 PM on 01/25/2012

Agreed.

[Quis Custodiet]

02:19 AM on 01/26/2012

So they are "close to downright lies", but are not, in point downright lies even though the "stuff...in his article is pure hyperbole."?

I am afraid you are contradicting yourself. Secondly, an assault on the character of a claimant is possibly the least intellectually valid form of argument. You go to Dartmouth, or so you claim, ergo you should know the meaning of ad hominem.

[awfawf]

09:32 PM on 01/26/2012

Quis Custodiet, I'm glad you're proud to have accumulated 41 fans. Quite an accomplishment. Whoops, an incomplete sentence. My bad.

It is perfectly reasonable to call Lohse's character into question. People citing examples of Lohse's lack of integrity are doing so to urge readers to seek out more context before passing judgment, not to instantly falsify Lohse's claims.

Your comments certainly aren't contributing to a healthy discussion of the issue.

[roonie4]

08:59 PM on 01/25/2012

My sorority never hazed and we still were able to form amazing bonds and lasting friendships and memories. That is truly disgusting and I cannot see how anyone would find that fun to watch!

[Quis Custodiet]

02:24 AM on 01/26/2012

Sororities rarely if ever haze. That's basically a fact of life and the key difference between the way women and men bond with one another. You can attribute the masculine predisposition towards humiliating future "brothers" to socialization variables and the notion of "bonding through shared adversity" popularized by the military. Not going to get into it in length, but men generally have far less problem with publicly humiliating other men.

[Ascare26]

04:30 AM on 01/26/2012

I think sororities haze at the larger greek systems, but mostly with alcohol.

I was in a smaller greek system so only about 2/7 of the frats hazed and none of the sororities hazed.

[Walter Jablonski]

07:51 PM on 01/29/2012

The "bonding through shared adversity" you attribute to the military is NOTHING like this. As a vet, I can attest to what military are subjected to, and although sometimes challenging both physically and mentally, it was never personally humiliating.
And no, I am not a lifer or an apologist. I was drafted, served during the Viet Nam war and truly appreciated the "bonding" provided by the military. And I marched twice on the Pentagon during the war, had our anti-war group infiltrated by the FBI, and have always opposed unnecessary military adventurism.

[billy the kid]

08:45 PM on 01/25/2012

sounds like someone didn't get a bid.

[hopein2012]

11:18 PM on 01/25/2012

hahahahahaha