Several members of Tiger Inn, a private eating club on Prospect Avenue, have been charged with violating University policies regarding sexual discrimination and sexual misconduct, University spokesperson Martin Mbugua said Thursday.
The students will now have a chance to respond to the charges.
A University student had photographed a female student performing oral sex on a male student in October. The photo was then circulated to the whole of the TI membership by then-club vice president Adam Krop ’15. Krop was fired from his position about six weeks after the photo was distributed to the membership and after the case received considerable media attention.
Krop did not respond to requests for comment.
The University announcement comes a few days after the Princeton Police Department officially closed its own investigation into the matter after interviewing all parties involved and reviewing the contents of the photograph, which the police described as non-explicit in nature.
Mbugua declined to comment on how many students have been charged, but said it was more than one. The announcement is unusual as the University does not usually disclose details about internal disciplinary cases.
The University has been investigating the case since it was first reported in November as a case of sexual exploitation, which includes, among other things, the taking and distribution of sexual photographs without the consent of all parties involved.
Mbugua noted that the University’s review and disciplinary process are entirely separate from a criminal investigation conducted by the police. The Princeton Police’s municipal investigation was closed Friday.
“The University is committed to conducting the investigations in a way that is prompt, as well as full and fair,” Mbugua said.
Two TI officers have been fired since the photo was released. The second officer sent an email proposing that members “boo” Sally Frank ’80, whose activism forced the club to start accepting women in 1991. However, this email was presumably not a violation of University policy.
More than 100 TI alumni signed a letter last week condemning recent behavior by club members.
TI graduate board president Hap Cooper ’82, TI president Oliver Bennett ’15 and the town police did not respond to requests for comment.