Seven members of a fraternity at New England College received burn marks about 7 inches long above their left chest during a recent hazing incident, according to the Henniker police.

"It isn't like just a red mark," said police Chief Tim Russell. "It's significant enough to have penetrated the skin in most of them."

Russell said yesterday that three students from Sigma Alpha Beta who inflicted the burns could be charged with second-degree assault, a felony, as early as next week. Russell would not identify the students.

The seven burn victims, also unidentified, could be charged with misdemeanors for participating in an alleged hazing ceremony.

"Even to be a victim like these guys, potentially each person that was burned was a separate case," Russell said.

None of the students involved has been suspended or expelled, college spokeswoman Kathleen Williams said. However, those possibilities remain, pending the police investigation, Williams said.

"The college may have some disciplinary charges that might go against either the fraternity or the individuals associated with the behavior," Williams said. "It depends on the seriousness of the incident, and we're still investigating that at this point."

All activities connected with Sigma Alpha Beta have been suspended, Williams added.

The alleged hazing incident surfaced two weeks ago when officials from the college's safety department contacted the police after four burn victims disclosed their injuries, Russell said. The Henniker police have since identified three more students who also had burns in the same area of their chests.

"They didn't necessarily come forward," Russell said. "But we identified them. We know there were seven."

Russell compared the burn marks to the process of branding animals, saying, "They were very similar, but it wasn't the same kind of instrument used. I don't want to describe what kind of instrument it was, but I will tell you that the burns are not small, probably 6 to 7 inches in length. They're kind of a straight line over the left breast."

The NEC handbook states that hazing is forbidden. "New England College supports the state of New Hampshire law and does not condone or tolerate any acts of hazing," the book said. "Any such acts, on or off college premises, which interfere with normal college activities, academic or nonacademic, are expressly forbidden. In accordance with the New Hampshire hazing law, New England College will report any incidents of hazing to the proper legal authorities."

Russell said NEC has cooperated with the Henniker police during the investigation, something he said hasn't always been the case with other colleges or universities.

"They are very upset about this, and their campus safety and their college administration have been really helpful in this entire investigation so far," Russell said. "They deserve some credit, and quite frankly, not all of the administrations in other colleges would be this forthcoming."

Williams said school officials briefed incoming students twice this semester, explaining to them the dangers and consequences of fraternity hazing.

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