Two TI officers ousted following distribution of sex photo

Tiger Inn has removed two undergraduate officers – its vice president and treasurer – following the distribution of an email containing a sexually explicit photo, and a separate email that seemed to mock activist Sally Frank ’80, whose lawsuit forced TI to accept women as members in the early 1990s.

The number of ousted TI officers now totals six this year, after four officers were forced to resign earlier this year due to an unrelated incident in which the club allegedly hosted a party of the semi-secret drinking society known as the 21 Club.

The first email, from mid-October, was sent by former vice president Adam Krop ’15, the New York Times reported. The email contained a photo of a woman engaged in a sex act at TI. The email also contained a crude joke and called the woman in the photo an “Asian chick.”

In addition, former treasurer Andrew Hoffenberg ’15 sent out an email urging club members to attend a lecture by Frank and boo her.

“Looking for someone to blame for the influx of girls? Come tomorrow and help boo Sally Frank,” the email read, according to the paper.

Krop and Hoffenberg were appointed officers following the 21 Club incident and had only a few weeks left in their positions before a new cohort of officers would have taken their place.

Both students are still enrolled at the University, which has been conducting its own investigation into the sex photo distribution.

“We can’t go into specifics or determine exactly when it will end,” University spokesperson Martin Mbugua told the New York Times.

TI graduate board president Hap Cooper ’82 said last month following reports of the sex photo incident that the club would conclude its own investigation into the matter before Thanksgiving. Cooper also said the club would survey members and holding a town hall meeting, which was announced in an email that condemned the club’s culture.

“It is clear to us that the actions taken by Adam Krop and Drew Hoffenberg in the second week of October were offensive, disrespectful and in direct violation of our core values,” the board wrote in an email announcing their decision to members.

Cooper was out of the country on Monday. Eric Pedersen ’82, a member of the TI graduate board, declined to comment on Monday night, saying instead that he’d be willing to speak on Tuesday morning.

Krop and Hoffenberg could not be reached for comment. Reporters were not allowed inside the TI clubhouse on Monday night, which is private property and houses the rooms where both former officers reside.

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TI president Oliver Bennett ’15 did not respond to multiple phone calls on Monday night.

In mid-November, following the reporting of the sex photo incident, the phrase “Rape Haven” was graffitied in black spray paint on the stone partition outside TI. The graffiti has since been removed.

The club has remained open and on tap since the incident was first reported and recently hosted a weekend aimed at parents of current members.

The first email could potentially be a crime of the third degree, as the distribution of a photo of a sexual act falls under New Jersey’s invasion of privacy laws. The law prohibits disseminating nude or sexual photos, or photos of people engaging in sexual contact, without their consent.

The Princeton Police Department has been working on the case, but Sgt. Steve Riccitello said that until a victim comes forward, the department cannot begin a formal investigation. Riccitello also said no one had reported the graffiti, and police were thus not investigating the incident.

Staff writers Charles Min and Lorenzo Quiogue contributed reporting