A 21-year-old NIU student has been charged with attempted first degree murder following a stabbing early Saturday morning on Greek Row.

DeKalb police said Matthew W. Bergquist, of DeKalb, was trying to gain entry into a party at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house, 919 Greenbrier Road, when he became involved in an altercation with a 20-year-old man.

Police said the two crossed the street, where Bergquist allegedly stabbed the man in the upper arm and back.

Bergquist suffered minor injuries while witnesses held him on the ground for police, said DeKalb police Sgt. Jason Leverton.

The altercation was apparently over Bergquist being denied entry to the party, Leverton said.

Both Bergquist and the victim were taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital, 626 Bethany Road, where Bergquist was arrested after being treated and released. The victim was transferred to the UIC Medical Center in Chicago. NIU officials said he is not an NIU student.

Vice president of student affairs Brian Hemphill said in an official university statement that Bergquist, a junior business major, was suspended and barred from campus.

Bergquist currently is being held at the DeKalb County Jail, Leverton said.

Judicial Affairs has suspended the SAE fraternity and imposed a moratorium on all Greek-sponsored social events involving alcohol.

The moratorium prevents Greeks from hosting any social activities involving alcohol pending the outcome of an investigation to determine if their policies and practices would prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Attempted first-degree murder is a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. First-degree murder is generally considered deliberate and premeditated. It is distinguished from second-degree murder, in which premeditation is usually absent, and from manslaughter, which lacks premeditation and suggests that at most there was intent to harm rather than to kill.