While many Dartmouth students are looking forward to relaxing over Green Key Weekend, organizations dedicated to ensuring the safety of students are gearing up to minimize harm caused by alcohol abuse and other potentially dangerous activities over the big weekend.
Although Green Key is typically less eventful than Homecoming in the fall term, Safety and Security increases its nighttime staff over the weekend to respond to an increased number of alcohol-related incidents, according to College Proctor and Safety and Security Director Harry Kinne. The combination of good weather and the numerous events happening around campus contributes to dangerous behavior, he said.
The additional officers mainly serve to supervise Green Key events, especially the numerous outdoor concerts and the annual lawn party at Alpha Delta fraternity, according to Kinne. Even with the increased staffing, students must make efforts to ensure safety themselves, he said.
"We want everyone to be safe and look out for each other," Kinne said.
Dick's House also makes changes for the weekend, to accommodate an increase in the number of patients, according to Charley Bradley, the director of the nursing department and acting administration and fiscal officer of Dick's House. Although Dick's House hours do not change for the weekend, one extra nurse is on call to deal with the larger workload, Bradley said.
Unlike other big weekends, much of the increase in patients over Green Key weekend is not due to overconsumption of alcohol, Bradley said. During Homecoming, Dick's House receives a large number of intoxicated students "earlier in the day" and in the afternoon as a result of the Friday night bonfire. Over Green Key weekend, many students are injured as a result of outdoor activities, Bradley said.
"It's not necessarily intoxication," she said. "More kids fall off their bicycles."
Student organizations also plan to improve their ability to respond to problems over the big weekend. Dartmouth EMS will have crews ready to respond to medical emergencies on Wednesday and Thursday nights in addition to the regularly scheduled shifts on Friday and Saturday, Dartmouth EMS Director Ryan Speers '11 said in an email to The Dartmouth.
Dartmouth EMS will work closely with the Dick's House inpatient department to provide more staffing, according to Speers.
Students will also benefit from the recently extended coverage hours from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights adopted by Dartmouth EMS three weeks ago a move unrelated to Green Key, Speers said.
Green Key will likely be an important learning experience for Green Team, a newly implemented program with about 200 trained students that sends its members to parties to provide assistance to other students who might be in danger, according to Jeffrey Millman Tu'12, who guided Green Team's implementation after founding the similar Quaker Bouncer program at Haverford College.
Millman said he will suggest to Green Team members that more monitors attend events over Green Key weekend. He will also ensure that the "veteran" members of the organization take a lead role at Green Key events. Ultimately, Millman said he will allow Green Team members to decide what they feel is appropriate because they are more experienced with the College's social scene.
"It's really important that [Green Team] is as specific as possible to Dartmouth," he said.
Green Team hopes to learn as much as possible over the big weekend and adjust its strategies accordingly, Millman said.
"This is the first time that Green Team will be in existence and Green Key is happening," he said. "We will look for ways to learn to be even more effective."
