As students gear up for a weekend of outdoor fun and late-night parties, Safety and Security will strengthen its forces around campus.
The celebrations surrounding special weekends such as Winter Carnival, Green Key and Homecoming frequently lead to a rise in incident reports, according to Sgt. Mark Lancaster, but the precise increase is variable.
"Every Carnival takes its own course," Lancaster noted, explaining that Winter term's party weekend occasionally sees no more problems than a typical fall football weekend and in other years sees twice as many.
According to Women's Resource Center Director Giavanna Munafo, while employees of the Women's Resource Center have noticed a greater number of reports of sexual abuse during Winter Carnival, Green Key and Homecoming than over typical weekends, these numbers are difficult to quantify.
Victims of sexual assault often do not tell anyone of their experience until days, weeks, months or even years after the incident occurs. This presents a problem in gauging the statistical impact of a particular weekend.
While roughly 50 incidents of sexual assault are reported to the Sexual Abuse Awareness Program Coordinator each year, very few are eventually filed as formal complaints to the College.
Lancaster described the types of incidents Safety and Security must deal with over big weekends as "the same as we usually do, but more of them." Intoxication, vandalism and suspicious behavior -- a problem heightened by the unusually large number of College alumni and other nonstudents around the Dartmouth campus -- serve as the usual suspects.
Extra forces will also be on hand at events such as the Polar Bear Swim, Occom Pond Party, Opening Ceremonies and sporting events.
One factor working in Safety and Security's favor this weekend will be relatively mild weather conditions. Tomorrow will heat up slightly to a high of 37 degrees and a low of 21. Sunday calls for rain and a high of 44 degrees, with nighttime temperatures falling to 18 degrees.
Last year's Carnival met with harsh weather conditions, which contributed to nine cases of students calling Safety and Security due to minor injuries such as cut lips and bruised hands. More favorable weather conditions in 2000 saw only four such reports.
College Proctor Robert McEwen last year noted four cases of property damage over Winter Carnival weekend, double the number of cases that occurred in 2000. McEwen blamed the spike on bad winds.
