Signs point to Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity’s re-recognition by national organization

BY Lauren Azrin The Dartmouth Staff

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter at Dartmouth, formerly known as Scarlett Hall, is now listed on SAE’s national organization website after it was derecognized nearly seven years ago. According to internet archives, the chapter was not listed on the national chapter list in September 2022 and appeared on the website by February 2023.

A member of Dartmouth’s SAE chapter, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about his experiences, stated that SAE’s national organization re-recognized the local chapter in October 2022. The organization remains unrecognized by and unafliated with the College, assistant director of Greek Life Josh Gamse wrote in an email statement.

The fraternity was initially derecognized by SAE’s national organization in January 2016 due to health and safety violations — following an investigation into a hazing complaint — as well as a failure to comply with national standards, according to past reporting by The Dartmouth. The fraternity was subsequently derecognized by the College due to its national suspension in February 2016.

According to the anonymous member of SAE, the fraternity attempted to obtain re-recognition for at least a year before achieving success. He said the fraternity proposed to national representatives a “detailed plan” for future operations before signing formal re-recognition paperwork in October.

“National just wanted to be very cautious and sure that we were ready to be re-recognized,” the brother said. “They take [hazing] very seriously, since it’s banned at all chapters.”

The member added that early in spring term, several SAE national executives spent the weekend in Hanover for “ceremonial” events, such as banquets and presentations on promised expectations between Dartmouth’s chapter and the national organization.

According to the member, the chapter is “not even close” to re-recognition by the College. He said the group’s unrecognized status may stem from past hazing rumors, as well as an ongoing legal battle with the College.

The fraternity has been the subject of a civil land use appeal since 2016, when the Hanover Zoning Board of Adjustment ruled that the fraternity could no longer reside in its College Street property after its derecognition, according to the Valley News. Hanover Planning, Building and Codes director Robert Houseman stated that the town’s decision stemmed from SAE’s location on land zoned for institutional use, explaining that the fraternity was no longer connected to its institution — the College.

According to the Valley News, the fraternity’s lawyers argued that SAE itself should be regarded as an institution. Houseman said the appeal reached the New Hampshire Supreme Court, which found issue with one of the town’s decisions — what qualifes as “institutional” use. The appeal then went back to the town, who upheld the decision and sent the case back to court, where it stands now.

“Our defnition of an ‘institution’ in our zoning specifes exactly what an institution is, and the board found that [SAE] did not meet that criteria,” Houseman said. “And they’re appealing that.”

The SAE member said there remained “a lot of work” that needs to be done between the fraternity’s executives and the College before a potential re-recognition.

He added that SAE’s members decided to pursue national re-recognition so that its achievements — as well as any positive impact the fraternity has on the Hanover

BY Charlotte Hampton The Dartmouth Staff

“[Ife] knew how to bring people together,” Subomi Gbotosho’s Th’23 said at the funeral service for Ifeoluwa Adeleye Th’23 on March 10.

“They say no one is perfect, but she was perfect to me. She was special, and always will be,” Gbotosho ––friend, classmate and former partner of Adeleye –– said. “Her friends describe her as affectionate, selfless, kind, motherly. To me, she was my best friend.”

Adeleye, who came to Dartmouth from Lagos, Nigeria, died on March 1 at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center after a stroke two weeks earlier, according to friend and classmate Serena Yombe Th’23. While Adeleye remained in the hospital, her friends asked doctors to continue her life support until her family from Nigeria could arrive in Hanover to say goodbye, Yombe said.

The Thayer community “came together” in response to Adeleye’s death, according to Geoffrey Parker, executive director of the Thayer Master of Engineering Management program. Although Adeleye lost responsiveness after her stroke, students sat vigil by her hospital bed.

“I don’t think [Subomi] left that hospital in over a week,” Parker said. “[Adeleye’s friends] … would leave for hours at a time, not days.”

Yombe described Adeleye as a fiercely thoughtful friend.

“Once you got close to her, she really understood you as a person,” Yombe said. “When I wasn’t feeling okay, she would notice that I was a little off compared to how I’ve been and was always the first person to ask, ‘Serena, I noticed something’s wrong. What’s going on?’”

Nandita Nanda Th’23 also noted that Adeleye cared deeply for her friends.

“She was very observant,” Nanda said. “She could tell when something was bothering you, and then, at the same time, she would do anything to help.”

During the two weeks Adeleye remained unresponsive, Adeleye’s family held out hope that she might survive, Nanda said, adding that the family’s positivity gave her strength.

“Her family [was] so positive: ‘He will bring her back. God has a plan. God will bring her back. That girl, she will be back,’” Nanda explained. “It made us feel like anything could happen.”

The funeral service was meant to “bid [Adeleye] farewell in a joyful way,” Nanda said. The service involved singing songs and sharing memories about Adeleye by her family and friends.

“Ife was exceptionally brilliant,” Gbotosho said at the service. “She was able to understand really complex concepts very quickly. I recall moments in class when I [was] lost at what the professor was saying, and she’d be like, ‘Calm down, don’t worry.’ She would then proceed to explain it to me, no matter how long it took.”

Gbotosho added that Adelye talked about her plans to one day adopt six children, and she often spent time with the kids at her church, bringing games and snacks for them.

Thayer Master of Engineering Management co-director Jennifer St. Laurence said she felt the effects of Adeleye’s “glowing” energy. St. Laurence said she once bought Adeleye a plant after Adeleye made a nice comment about the flowers blooming in her office.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna get one for you,” St. Lawrence said. “She just had that effect on me. I don’t traditionally buy gifts for students. She was just very excited about it, very happy to receive it.”

She was “somebody who was full of life,” friend and classmate Smiti Thapar Th’23 said.

“[Adeleye] always had positivity to offer,” Thapar added. “Beautiful inside [and] out, and very, very welcoming.”

For Nanda, Adeleye’s legacy reminds her to make the most of each moment.

“I didn’t think much about time,” Nanda said. “You take things for granted, and you think everyone has unlimited time, that there’s always time to do everything … You don’t want to think that there won’t be a next time. But at the same time, this sort of thing gives you a perspective on if you [want] to say something, maybe do it soon.”