Students attending Green Key Weekend events may be able to avoid the perils of the Homecoming bonfire and Winter Carnival's frigid weather, but they still face the dangers of excessive drinking and the spread of germs characteristic of all big weekends, according to College health and safety officials.
"Generally speaking, Green Key, as some of the [other] weekends, tends to be a bit busier than most weekends," said Harry Kinne, director of Safety and Security and College proctor.
During Green Key Weekend, Safety and Security will take precautions in order to be more visible throughout campus, according to Kinne.
Safety and Security will be operating with a full staff with two extra patrollers in the nighttime and early morning hours.
"We try to be as visible as possible and hope students will contact us if needed," Kinne said. "We always encourage students on big weekends to remember the Good Samaritan policy and take normal precautions, like watching out for each other."
Kinne said the most important thing to remember is that all celebration should be done in moderation.
"I encourage people to make sure that they know what they're drinking, not leave their drinks unattended and avoid taking drinks from strangers," he said.
Kinne added that Safety and Security's first priority is providing medical attention to students who need it.
Increased drinking during Green Key Weekend is a cause for concern from a public safety perspective, according to Betsy McClain, director of administrative services and Hanover deputy town clerk.
"Just like Homecoming or any other big weekend, there are more ambulance calls and more people called in for overtime, especially when drinking is part of the activities," she said.
College Health Services Director John Turco said that while health officials are aware that more students than usual may drink during Green Key Weekend, Dick's House officials will not increase the number of their staff over the weekend. He stressed the importance of keeping good hygiene and washing hands frequently, especially in light of the risk of contracting swine flu and other illnesses.
"Students should practice good hygiene as well as they can during Green Key [Weekend]," Turco said. "But, hopefully, there will be a few warm days so that people can go outside, making it a little bit harder to spread germs."
In past years, students have contracted pink eye at Chi Heorot fraternity's Green Key Weekend foam party, due to their close proximity in the foam, Turco said.
Although it has not been a problem recently, pink eye can "pop up anytime," according to Turco.
"Pink eye is a viral infection that can come and go at any time, but it is not a serious problem," he said.
Hanover Police is not taking any special precautions for Green Key Weekend, Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone said. He noted that though there is often a slight increase in intoxication cases, most of these cases occur during the days leading up to the event.
Ana Bowens contributed to the reporting of this article.
