Groups of four Green Team student members will be present at social events to identify and help individuals who appear to require assistance, Akrami said. An individual approached by a Green Team member may accept or deny assistance without sanctions.
When assigned to Greek house events, Green Team members will receive member status of the hosting organization for the duration of the specified event and will be able to check IDs, distribute wrist bands and assist with the general functioning of the event. They will perform walkthroughs of the house at 20-minute intervals, Akrami said. Green Team individuals will also be able to place Good Samaritan calls for intoxicated individuals at Greek events without the fraternity or sorority incurring penalties, he said.
Student Body President Eric Tanner '11 said there is "no downside" for students under the new policy.
"Green Team is not meant to snitch on anyone, report anyone or even look to Good Sam anyone they're there to take care of people," Tanner said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
The program which is entirely student led and run is its own entity and is separate from the administration, Student Assembly and the Social Events and Management Procedure, according to Akrami. A pilot version of the program will be funded by the Office of the President and future funding will be based upon an evaluation of the program's success, he said.
"If you expect a change regarding alcohol on campus, it has to be student run," Akrami said. "This is a peer-to-peer cultural norm change."
Green Team members will be chosen by the program committee from junior and senior class applicants, he said. Green Team shifts will be approximately four hours long and members will make $40 per shift, according to Akrami.
Green Team will be available to all students and organizations who wish to ensure safety at a social event of any size, Tanner said. Students can request a Green Team in advance of their planned event via e-mail. Members of the program will not be marked in any way, but will act as sober party guests trained to approach students before they reach an intoxication level that might warrant a Good Sam call or cause them to become involved in a dangerous situation, Tanner said. Green Team members will provide food, water and any other assistance they deem necessary.
Green Team members will alleviate the "bystander effect" at parties, ior when bystanders do not intervene in dangerous situations because they assume others will take action.
Green Team members will complete reports pertaining strictly to safety on each event they attend. The reports will not be released to the Organizational Adjudication Committee or the Undergraduate Judicial Affairs Office, and will not be used to punish individuals or organizations, according to Akrami. Event hosts will also complete reports regarding the effectiveness of the Green Team members in attendance, he said.
"The Dartmouth spirit of community is what makes this so viable here," Akrami said. "I don't think this could work at many other schools."
The program is modeled after the Quaker Bouncer program created by Jeff Millman Tu'12 when he was an undergraduate at Haverford College, according to Akrami. After one semester of the Quaker Bouncer program another program that allows students to act as sober monitors at college parties the incidences of hospitalization due to intoxication declined by 50 percent, he said.
During the Fall term, the College's Alcohol and Other Drugs Program coordinator Brian Bowden introduced the example of the Quaker Bouncer program to the Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee, Akrami said. The committee has since been working closely with Bowden and Millman to modify the program to match Dartmouth's needs.
Akrami and Millman presented Green Team to College President Jim Yong Kim and Chief of Staff David Spalding on Jan. 20. Both Kim and Spalding gave the program their full support, according to Akrami.
Tanner said that if the Dartmouth community can reduce harm at the same rate as students did at Haverford, students will be able to "seriously talk" to acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears about reforming current campus alcohol policies.
"This is us taking ownership as students so the town and the school don't have to dictate [rules regarding alcohol] to us," Tanner said.
A bystander intervention program committee consisting of eight students selected by Akrami with the input of the Assembly's Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee will manage Green Team. The autonomous committee will have its own directorate, administration liaison and finance manager, Akrami said.
Green Team members will attend a mandatory two-hour training session with Bowden, Millman, Safety and Security, Sexual Assault Peer Advisors and Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors during which they will learn about conflict intervention. Following the session, they will indicate the weekends that they are available to work, Akrami said. There is no required number of weekends that trainees must be available, he said.
An information session on the program will occur within the next two weeks along with two Green Team training sessions, Akrami said. The first session will train executive members of every Greek organization so that they are versed in conflict identification and intervention. Although Greek executive members will not be required to sign up for the program, Green Team received unanimous support at a recent informational meeting with Panhellenic Council members, Akrami said.
Spalding, who spoke at the General Assembly meeting about his responsibilities as Chief of Staff, emphasized Kim's concern regarding binge drinking and sexual assault on campus. Spalding said that Kim is addressing the issues with both an evidence-based approach and a continuous improvement cycle that seeks to evaluate initiatives each month and modify them when necessary.
Spalding also reviewed the current search for the new Dean of the College to replace Spears and asked the Assembly for input regarding the necessary characteristics of a new dean.
The Assembly approved funding for a Mental Self Defense Workshop with Safety and Security Officer Rebel Roberts. Kappa Delta sorority will host the workshop.
The Membership and Internal Affairs Committee's proposal to amend the structure of the Undergraduate Finance Committee was also passed. The proposal increases the number of at-large members by two and defines the new members' roles.
A proposal allocating $750 to La Unidad Latina and the Dartmouth Ski Team for a joint tailgate during Winter Carnival was also passed.
The Assembly voted to give Ivy Council $9,240 to fund a 100 to 200-person conference other Ivy League student government representatives in February. The Assembly also voted to reimburse the Council $3,345 to pay for transportation to a conference at Princeton University last Fall.
