According to the Office of Residential Life, of the 948 sophomores enrolled this term, only 679 live on campus, which includes those who live in private Coed, Fraternity and Sorority houses. This means that the remaining 28.4 percent of sophomores have chosen to live off-campus for the summer, a statistic comparable with last year's 30.7 percent, but a number nearly double the normal estimated 15 percent of students who live off-campus during a normal school term.
Liz Kolleeny '08 said that the migration of sophomores off-campus in the summer contributed to her decision to live in B-house of the ABCD houses this term.
"My older friends had always told me that sophomore summer was a great time to try living off-campus, and I thought it would be really fun to live with my friends in a different environment where we had more responsibility and more freedom," Kolleeny said.
For John Beardsley '08, a resident of 31.5 School Street, the choice to live off-campus was partly economic, and while he enjoys it, he sees the off-campus life as somewhat insular.
"I hang out here a lot more," Beardsley said of his house. "I haven't seen a bunch of people who live at other off-campus houses."
Kolleeny voiced similar sentiments.
"You don't meet as many new people or talk to people who might have just lived on your floor in the dorm," she said. "Instead, you mostly spend time with people you're already friends with by visiting them at their houses. I'm getting really close with all of the girls in my house because we're having such a great time sharing a new experience."
Because so few members of the class of 2008 are over 21 years old, the Social Event Management Procedures do not allow any registered parties involving alcohol over the summer. Safety and Security, however, exercises no jurisdiction over certain off-campus locations.
"We are limited in our responsibilities to College-owned property," College Proctor Harry Kinne said. "We're not a police department; we're Dartmouth Safety and Security. Our emphasis is on Dartmouth rules and regulations."
Kinne did note, however, that if Safety and Security officers became aware of a situation occurring at an off-campus location, they would pass the information on to Hanover Police.
There are other hazards to the off-campus social scene as well. A recent party that took place at 31.5 School Street encountered unforeseen problems.
"It got crashed by belligerent townies," Beardsley said.
