The police arrested five students for alcohol-related incidents and two for disorderly conduct, down from last year’s 13 and three arrests, respectively, over Homecoming weekend. Monday marked the end of the Greek Leadership Council’s policy that freshmen cannot enter Greek houses serving alcohol for the first six weeks of the fall, and Safety and Security received no reports Monday night, director of Safety and Security Harry Kinne said. The number of reports over the weekend was typical for a big weekend, he said.
On Friday night, eight students were taken to Dick’s House for alcohol intoxication, and one of these students was then taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for further medical attention.
Officers arrested a non-student spectator for alcohol possession at the bonfire, Kinne said. After the spectator did not cooperate with police, officers found he also had drugs in his possession.
Hanover Police arrested two students for disorderly conduct after touching the fire, police chief Charlie Dennis said. Additionally, one of these students was charged with unlawful possession after being brought in to the police department.
Kinne said that several students were identified on video after attempting to touch the fire, but neither Safety and Security nor the Hanover Police detained them. The judicial affairs office will be responsible for disciplining these students, he said.
On Saturday night, five students were taken to Dick’s House for intoxication and one was transported to DHMC, Kinne said. One person did not cooperate with nurses, so the police took the individual into protective custody at Grafton County jail.
One person, who was not associated with the College, was found trespassing in Tabard coeducational fraternity on Saturday night, which was closed due to fire violations. The person refused to leave and was taken into custody by Hanover Police.
Safety and Security increased the number of officers on patrol this weekend, Kinne said, and all 30 Safety and Security officers were on duty at the bonfire. The department also hired approximately 12 security personnel from Green Mountain Concert Services, an event security firm based in Vermont, for the bonfire.
Dennis said that Hanover Police also increased its on-duty staff for the weekend’s events, especially for traffic control during the freshman sweep.
The weekend saw several instances of vandalism, as well as several injuries, such as twisted ankles, that were not related to alcohol, Kinne said.
“What’s not in the reports are all the wonderful things that happened, all the nice things, the reunions, the parties, the things that went without problem,” he said.
Rob Del Mauro ’18 said he appreciated that Greek houses held events for freshmen after the bonfire, like Chi Heorot fraternity’s Drylighter party.
Angelina Lionetta ’18 said that the bonfire tradition was “amazing” and that she enjoyed the karaoke event at Collis.
Kinne said that Safety and Security had no interaction with any Greek organizations on Monday night after the GLC freshman ban expired. While officers responded to several incidents, including a fire alarm, he said none of these appeared to be associated with the end of the six-week ban, he said.
No arrests were made Monday night, Dennis said.
Meredith Alaback ’18 said she did not want to go out on Monday since many Greek houses were closed.
“I wanted my first experience in the frats to be with all the classes, instead of just freshmen, so I could get a real idea of what it’s going to be like for the next four years,” she said.
