Despite the shock and dismay expressed by many College officials, the drowning of Tuck Bridge program participant Valentin Valkov last Friday is likely to have little impact on the activities of determined Connecticut River-goers.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, Dean of the College James Larimore said that administrators may consider policy changes that would affect river access and student safety, though he questioned the extent to which those policies can limit the risks taken by students.
"We have a number of procedures in place," Larimore said. "I'm not sure the College could have done much more."
Larimore said he remains confident that the College is taking as many precautions as possible with water safety but that procedural review was important. He said he was particularly interested in revisiting "how we engage students in thinking about these issues."
Larimore cited a number of policies already in place on the College's riverside property, including Safety and Security patrols and closure of the Ledyard Canoe Club after dark.
"Clearly, this doesn't restrict people from acting on their own," Larimore said, stressing the importance of individual responsibility.
Chris Boroski, associate director of the Office of Risk Management, confirmed the safeguards in place along the Connecticut River. He added that the College's only liability in the Friday drowning appears to be Valkov's connection to the summer Bridge program.
"There is a lot of activity that takes place on the river that has nothing to do with Dartmouth," Boroski said.
Larimore said he does not believe that visitors to Dartmouth are at any greater risk for river accidents, though he did say he intends to ask colleagues at the Tuck School of Business whether they consider Bridge program participants engaging in river activities an annual habit.
Tuck School Dean Paul Danos told The Dartmouth he was unaware of such a habit and that he and his staff -- which includes College graduates -- were not familiar with the "Ledyard Challenge."
"Of the people I've talked to on the Tuck staff, no one was aware of this tradition at Dartmouth. It's something that's new to us," Danos said. "Obviously, it is not a formal part or informal part of our program. If it occurred, it was something students do on their own."
Larimore indicated that he expects College Proctor Harry Kinne will investigate whether there are appropriate solutions to increasing security at College-regulated riverbanks but added that there are limitations to what can be done. Twenty-four hour surveillance, for example, is "hard, if not impossible" to implement and something the College should not practice, Larimore said.
The Hanover Police Department, similarly, does not plan on changing its policies concerning how the river is regulated.
"We're not going to be stepping up patrolling around the river," Giaccone said.
He said it would be inappropriate for police to intervene in the College's riverbanks, noting that all reasonable regulations are already in effect. Dartmouth closes access to the river at night, and public riverbanks are shut down "by way of ordinance," Giaccone said.
The Connecticut River can be controlled by the rules in place, "but there's nothing that prevents someone who enters the river, from any other property, from swimming in the dark," Giaccone said.
In the aftermath of Friday's drowning, Larimore suggested that students "think about whether there are risks people are taking that should be challenged." He said he worries about how students deal with "heat of the moment" decisions and "traditions that have their roots in a free-loving, spirted history."
"The challenge is to be able to have fun and be safe," Larimore said.
Drownings involving the College have occurred relatively infrequently over the past 15 years.
In July 1997, a 15-year-old Portuguese boy, Luis Silvestre de Silva Santos, died while swimming in an unregulated area during the afternoon. He was attending a Jemison Institute environmental science camp at the College when the incident occurred.
The last Dartmouth student to drown in the Connecticut River was Michael Malone '93. During Fall term 1991, Malone wandered down to the river on a Friday evening and drowned. Recovering his body a week later, Police suspected he fell off of a steep bank about 100 yards north of the Tom Dent Cabin and that alcohol was a factor.
