College Insurrection readers, following our reports on Dartmouth College, would not be surprised by the news that it inspired the hit movie, Animal House.

Now, the New York Times takes a detailed look at the school’s “majoring in fun” reputation.

The drinking problems have flared into view just as the reality might be changing, due largely to former President Jim Yong Kim, who set out to curb alcohol abuse and sexual assault. Under him, Dartmouth started designating students to remain sober at parties and help people who are drunk and vulnerable and counseling students who go to the health center for alcohol-related reasons. He also founded the National College Health Improvement Program, an alliance of colleges trying to curb binge drinking.

Dr. Hanlon, who previously was at the University of Michigan, cited signs of improvement, like a drop in the number of times ambulances are called for students with very high blood alcohol levels, to 31 in 2012-13, from 80 in 2010-11.

Questions of alcohol abuse, hazing and the treatment of women moved to center stage last year, when a student, Andrew Lohse, wrote an essay for the newspaper detailing horrific things he had seen and done as a fraternity brother. The article drew muted assent from some students, charges of exaggeration from others, and national media attention sprinkled with references to “Animal House,” the 1978 film based very loosely on the writer Chris Miller’s memories of his Dartmouth daze.

In June, the Alpha Delta fraternity — whose alumni include Dr. Hanlon and Mr. Miller — pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of serving alcohol to under-age people, and agreed to pay a fine, perform community service, and submit to court-imposed restrictions on its parties and use of alcohol.

Weeks later, a party sponsored by a fraternity and a sorority with a “Bloods and Crips” theme prompted complaints of callousness, and in September, a fire broke out in a fraternity house that is being investigated as a possible arson.

But the dispute that drew the most attention this year began in April, at an annual event for high school seniors who have been admitted to Dartmouth. A group of students pushed their way into the event, shouting about sexism, homophobia, racism and harassment at the college. On an anonymous message board for Dartmouth students, some posted vulgar insults about the protesters, rape jokes and even threats.

Some of the protesters were also involved in filing the civil rights complaint, which the government agreed over the summer to investigate. Similar charges have been leveled at several elite colleges in the past year, including Amherst and Swarthmore, but the protesters here were more confrontational, and their critics more virulent.