Williams' Dean of the College Nancy Roseman agreed to forego disciplinary action against members of the Lambda Chapter of St. Anthony Hall, a secret fraternity and literary society, if they agree to abide by regulations which apply to all organizations at Williams, according to The Williams Record. The Williams handbook calls for suspension or expulsion for any student involved in a fraternity.

Although Williams has no way to determine which organizations are fraternities, they have a number of criteria which indicate that an organization might be a fraternity. Former members of St. Anthony Hall claim that alcohol is not central to the group's existence and that they function solely as a literary society. According to The Record, Williams officials have reason to believe St. Anthony Hall is a fraternity. The group is affiliated with the national fraternity. "Friends of the fraternity's members ... speak of recruiting sessions disguised as casual parties, late-night meetings in deserted parking lots and blindfolded initiation rituals in the woods."

Williams officials have known of its existence but previously chose to let students make their own decisions about the group, according to The Record. "My experience is, the harder you press on something, the more underground you drive it," Roseman told The Record. The fraternity was brought to the attention of Williams officials because of internal fraternity disputes and complaints from prospective members.

According to The Record, Williams first prohibited fraternities in 1962. The board of trustees reiterated the prohibition in 1989.

-Samantha Lacher