An indictment handed down in New Jersey last Friday surely is getting the attention of university administrators across the nation.

The felony indictments were for aggravated hazing in connection with the alcohol poisoning death of a Rider University freshman who died March 30 following a fraternity initiation. Although criminal charges in such cases aren’t that unusual, the people who were indicted in this case make it notable. The felony indictment included three students who were members of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity but it also included two administrators – Rider’s dean of students and the director of Greek life – who were nowhere around during the hazing incident. If convicted, the administrators and students could face up to 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini Jr. said Friday that the grand jury’s decision sends a “clear message that there is culpability involved in the ingestion of alcoholic beverages on college campuses. Rider University is involved in this today, but it could have been any college or university across the United States.”

That’s a sobering thought for university administrators in Kansas and the rest of the country.

The family of the 18-year-old California student who died after the fraternity initiation certainly has reason to be upset. The teenager was taken to the hospital with a blood alcohol content of 0.426 after reportedly consuming about three-fourths of a bottle of vodka as part of the initiation. His death is beyond senseless.

And Rider is in a difficult situation because a house manager paid by the university was at the fraternity house during the initiation. The Times of Trenton reported that the 22-year-old house manager was paid about $5,000 a year and had about the same duties as a resident assistant at a residence hall.

This arrangement is different from what exists at many schools, including Kansas University, and it’s a policy Rider may soon change. Rather than being chosen from a pool of applicants as resident assistants are, the fraternity manager was nominated by his fraternity brothers and recommended by the previous house manager and the fraternity president. He may not have been the best person to provide supervision on behalf of the university, but the fact that he was being paid by Rider may make it more difficult for the university to deny a connection to the tragic death.

As expected, Rider officials are taking this situation very seriously. The two indicted administrators remain on the job but Phi Kappa Tau has been dissolved. The university also may be rethinking its relationship with other Greek organizations on campus.

According to legal experts, the filing of criminal charges against administrators in a case such as this appears to be a first. University officials across the country are, no doubt, trying to make sure it also is the last.