During the annual Homecoming parade on Friday night a mob of zealous freshmen climbed on cars and uprooted street signs, Hanover Police Officer Drew Keith said.
And at the football game on Saturday, Hanover Police arrested Dean Marks '97 for rushing the field during half-time.
When the freshmen were romping through town Friday evening, officers saw students "jumping on top of hoods of cars, jumping on top of roofs of cars and jumping up and down," Keith said.
"It got a little out of control," Class of 1997 President Pamela Saunders said.
Police officers said they saw students trying to pull street signs out of the ground, Keith said.
"They were thwarted off by officers using the PA system in a car, telling them to cease and desist," he said.
No students were arrested, but police recovered four signs and took several students under protective custody, Keith said.
Dean of Freshmen Peter Goldsmith said the College cannot take disciplinary action unless it has the names of individual students who damaged property.
"It would be ludicrous to punish the entire Class of 1997 for the actions of a few people," he said.
Goldsmith said the students' actions were "altogether unfortunate. I don't have anything to attribute [the rowdiness] to. Actions like these almost always involve alcohol."
Saunders said the students had no malicious intent and caused little damage. "A lot of people were really psyched. They were really ready," she said. "We just wanted to be the coolest class."
Marks was one of about 30 freshmen who rushed the field during half-time. Police arrested him and charged him with criminal trespassing.
Marks was released under personal recognizance. His trial is set for Nov. 9.
He could not be reached for comment.
Most of the freshmen ran from the northeastern student section of the stands, evading Safety and Security officers who made little effort to catch students who hurdled a rope barrier.
The freshmen ran around the field during the Harvard Marching Band's performance.
Last year, students rushing the field collided with members of the Yale Marching Band, injuring some band members and damaging an instrument.
Goldsmith said rushing the field makes the College look bad to visitors. "There are teams that are reluctant to come and play at Dartmouth because their experience is so thoroughly unpleasant," he said.
Safety and Security officers used a video camera to record pictures of students who rushed the field. They will compare the images to face book pictures and try to apprehend the students.
"A lot of credit goes to the members of the class who restrained themselves," Goldsmith said.
