As Dartmouth social life awakens from winter hibernation, the Department of Safety and Security has warned all Greek house leaders of a possible influx of local high-school students attempting to enter fraternity and sorority parties.
According to fraternity and sorority social chairpersons who attended the Risk Managers/Social Chairs meeting last week, Safety and Security acknowledged an increasing presence of high-school students on campus during Winter term.
Officer Robert Young "mentioned that Hanover police had been reporting more incidents with high-school students, and they think it could be related to them coming to our events," said Lois Schonberger '03, social chair of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority.
Safety and Security Proctor Robert McEwen said he had no knowledge of an increase of high-school students at Greek parties, although Hanover High School students contacted by The Dartmouth said that they attend such functions.
Officer Gregory Timmins, who was also present at this meeting, said that Young was simply advising the Greek leaders to be aware of a potentially greater presence of high-school students during Spring term.
"We haven't noticed an increase, it's just a warning to the houses to keep an eye out," Timmins said. "Now that the weather is nicer at night, they will be out more often."
The Hanover Police Department handles all violations of College policy and the law involving anyone unaffiliated with the College.
"We constantly are coming across high-school kids who may be doing something unlawful that happens to be occurring on campus," O'Connor said.
"During my sophomore summer, I used to go to a lot of sophomore-summer parties," said Evan Cross, a junior at Hanover High. "At the big frats, they would hassle me [for ID], but at the little houses, they were very receptive."
Bypassing monitors at fraternities and sororities often involves manipulating the situation created by Dartmouth visitors who do not have identification.
"We usually just lie and say we're from UNH or UVM. It usually works," Cross said.
High school students also take advantage of their youthful appearance and a door monitor's hospitality toward prospective students.
"You just say you're a 'prospie' and they'll let you in," said Tucker Sorgent, a sophomore at Hanover High.
Not all Hanover High students, however, can convince a monitor of an acceptable alter ego.
"I couldn't get in because I didn't have ID," Hanover High junior Chris McCampbell said.
After purportedly appearing on The Dartmouth's front page in a photograph depicting his arrest at this year's homecoming bonfire, Hanover High junior Chris Connely has been tentative about attending other Dartmouth social events.
"They'd probably let us in -- we just can't get the balls to try." Connely said.
O'Connor said that the Hanover Police make an effort to patrol large social events on campus.
"Its probably almost impossible to stop any incident of any high-school student from entering a fraternity unless the house decides to take measures that doors are secured or IDs are checked, things of that measure. But is it 100-percent foolproof? Absolutely not," O'Connor said.
O'Connor recalled his adolescent days in Hanover when the legal drinking age was 18 and Dartmouth was still single-sex, which fostered more socializing with high-school students, particularly females.
Timmins said he has never come into contact with high-school students at parties, but he has had a great deal of experience with skateboarders of all ages on campus.
"They hassle us quite often, just walking across the Green or skateboarding," Cross said.
In order to prevent damage to college property, skateboarders and inline skaters -- who are mainly middle-school students -- are often ushered off campus by Safety and Security officers.
When performing dangerous tricks, these non-student skateboarders are an uninsured liability to the College and their personal safety, Timmins said.
