One of the first things you'll hear from your UGA is that until you matriculate, you're not under the protection of the College. So if you get "picked up" by any Safety and Security officers because you may have just happened to vomit on them on Frat Row, there will be consequences beyond all freshman reckoning. The rumors of punishment for such a violation stretch from a disciplinary slap on the wrist to an extended stay in Dick's House's underground Ministry of Love. Sure, UGAs do represent somewhat of a safety measure against your irresponsibility; they are paid by the College to babysit you irresponsible tyros until you can learn to drink and not die. But in comparison to the college world at large, you will find yourselves in quite a caring environment at Dartmouth when it comes to alcohol and drug enforcement.
I recently heard news of a friend's arrest at Penn State and was shocked. This demure, friendly mensch had been the victim of a sting operation -- run by local police and campus security -- in an effort to root out drug use at the University. Our unfortunate peer was given two options: Either he would choose jail time -- four months -- or he would have to work undercover for the cops as a sting agent, perpetuating the cycle of crackdowns. All this for attempting to buy a small amount of marijuana. This small offense, for which he would have only been given a fine in nearby Vermont, has huge potential effects on his future. Penn State -- a huge school in comparison to our lovable small College -- depicts "enormity" in both senses of the word. The school works with local police to root out drug users, treating them more like criminals than its own students.
During extensive research (on AIM), I discovered that my friend at Boston College is subject to dorm-room walk-throughs, presumably by intimidating SWAT teams with latex gloves, just waiting for him to sneeze so they can give him a full-cavity search. Alcohol policies at other schools, like Harvard, intentionally quash the drinking culture, without understanding its permanence as a college pastime. And while alcohol and drug abuse are certainly problems, Dartmouth administrators seem to understand that students will experiment, and that holistic prevention is a futile and auto-vilifying practice.
Even so, some Dartmouth students arrive with a nascent fear of Safety and Security's (intimidating?) light gray sport utility vehicles, afraid of immediate incarceration and expulsion from school. Talks with Brian Bowden, coordinator of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Education Program at Dick's House, and Safety and Security's Sergeant Wayne Agan confirmed that a more essential objective is student safety, not New Hampshire law enforcement. They're not looking to crusade against all mortal sins, but are doing what they can to prevent you from hurting yourself. While we're all Ivy League students in the classroom, once Friday night comes around, some of the smartest teenagers in the country fall into the age-old trap of binge drinking. For many of you, that will mean a night of making sweet, sweet mouth-love to a Choates toilet.
In a state where underage possession by consumption -- an absurd law -- remains a crime, the real "Man" to despise here, if you're willing to be revolutionary, is Hanover Police. The only reason students fear Good Sam calls is incarceration upon arrival at the hospital.
You'll find that benevolent Safety and Security walk-throughs, while intimidating (put that beer down, freshman!) replace the police bust of house parties in high school. Pickups on Frat Row prevent arrests by Hanover police, who patrol the streets in their shark-like low-riding Crown Victorias. Like sharks, they must constantly move to remain alive, looking for student prey to stray just outside of the College's protective security bounds. Because real crimes just don't happen that often in quaint little Hanover.
Dartmouth has even recently introduced a new and improved alcohol policy, Alcohol Management Policy, which will give Greek houses even more control and authority over their alcohol distribution. This is a sign that we are trusted -- and responsible -- to protect each other from ourselves. Don't accept that responsibility blithely during your first few weeks here.
Because we are trusted to make the right decisions, failure to do so will weigh most heavily upon those who can't.
But do feel good that you're entering a community that cares for its own and doesn't fall into the witch hunt mindset of other colleges. This is the beauty of a small school, and one more sign that Dartmouth was a good decision.
