A lawyer for a notorious Dartmouth College fraternity accused of branding new members on their body compared it to a form of self-expression like piercing or tattooing . Alpha Delta - depicted in the 1978 film Animal House - was suspended in October for various incidents including hazing , serving alcohol to minors and hosting unregistered parties . Officials are now extending that punishment over new allegations that members were burned last fall , with one student reportedly having the skin on his buttocks seared . They are also considering closing the 46-year-old club for good depending on the outcome of discussions . A pledge of Alpha Delta ( above ) reportedly agreed to be branded on his backside in the fall of 2014 . Attorney George Ostler confirmed a small number of fraternity members voluntarily chose to get body brands , but the practice was never a condition of membership . He says no hazing occurred , no one was injured and members are cooperating fully with the college . News of the branding incident emerged this week via the website Gawker . A sophomore pledge of Alpha Delta reportedly agreed to be branded on his backside in the fall of 2014 , according to a tipster . By agreeing to the branding , the pledge would theoretically be allowed to avoid 'more drinking-intensive pledge activities ' . When the pledge went home for winter break , he realized something was wrong with his brand and went to the doctor , Gawker reported . The fraternity at the Hanover , New Hampshire , school was famously depicted in the 1978 film Animal House . Dartmouth 's sitting president Phil Hanlon ( above ) - class of 1977 - is a member of the Alpha Delta fraternity . He had to be hospitalized after it was determined the brand was infected . Medical personnel alerted the college , which is in Hanover , New Hampshire , and the school handed down a suspension . This is not the first time Alpha Delta has been linked to branding . A 1992 Rolling Stone article reported that ' a few pledges were reportedly branded against their will this year ' . Alpha Delta brothers did not deny that allegation at the time . The pledge whose brand became infected is now a brother in the fraternity . Earlier this year , Dartmouth College President Philip Hanlon - who was a member of Alpha Delta in the 1970s - announced a series of reforms to eliminate problems he said were 'hijacking ' Dartmouth 's future that included high-risk drinking , sexual assault and a lack of inclusiveness on campus . The college is banning hard liquor on campus , ending pledge or probationary periods for all student groups to reduce hazing , developing a mandatory sexual violence prevention program and creating new residential communities . Alpha Delta was initially founded by members of the Gamma Sigma Society but dissociated from its parent corporation and renamed itself The Alpha Delta Fraternity in 1969 .
Dartmouth College 's Alpha Delta has a significant record of disciplinary violations , including hazing , serving alcohol to minors and hosting unregistered parties . This week it emerged that a new member had been branded on the buttocks during an initiation ceremony . Attorney George Ostler confirmed a small number of fraternity members voluntarily chose to get body brands . But he noted the practice was never a condition of membership .