Safety and Security officers responded to eight Good Samaritan calls over the weekend. Nine students stayed overnight at Dick's House, and two more students were transferred to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for additional medical treatment, according to Montas.
Six students were arrested at the bonfire for disorderly conduct. Of those students, three were members of the Class of 2015 who attempted to touch the bonfire, two of whom were successful. One student was charged with simple assault and another was charged with underage possession by consumption.
All seven arrests were later found to be alcohol-related, according to Montas.
Several other students managed to touch the fire without being apprehended, according to two members of the Class of 2015 who did not wish to give their names in order to avoid legal repercussions.
One male member of the Class of 2015 who touched the fire but evaded arrest, said he and several friends from his dormitory floor had planned to touch the fire before the event while sober.
"There wasn't really a game plan, but it came down to deciding which side you should run from and scoping out the athleticism of the officers," he said.
Although the student had been drinking before the fire, he said he limited his alcohol consumption in order to be more able to run.
The student attributed his escape to luck, and said he was able to avoid arrest because he bounced off of an officer who tried to tackle him in the crowd. From there, he was able to run away, change his shirt to avoid being recognized and return to the bonfire, he said.
"It's probably not the smartest decision I've made in my Dartmouth career so far," he said. "I'm going to wait a few years to tell my two younger brothers, and my parents probably won't be proud of me."
On Friday night, an undergraduate student who had been brought to Dick's House for alcohol consumption refused to cooperate with staff attempting to provide treatment. The student was subsequently transferred to Hanover Police and charged with disorderly conduct.
The seven arrests this year represent a decline from previous years, according to Montas, a difference he attributed to increased outreach to students. While seven students were also arrested in 2009, 11 were arrested in 2008, and 12 were arrested in 2007. The exact number of arrests in 2010 were not provided at the time.
During the Homecoming football game against Columbia on Saturday afternoon, several dozen students rushed the field during the halftime show. Neither Safety and Security officers nor officers from the Hanover Police Department made any effort to stop the students. Due to officers' lack of involvement, Montas could not provide an exact estimate of how many students rushed the field.
Montas said that both departments had decided not to stop students who rushed the field if they did not disrupt activities during the game, and had previously even encouraged students to rush the field during a College-approved time.
"We even used to invite the class to come in during halftime," Montas said.
Pranam Chatterjee '15, one of the students who rushed the field, said in an email to The Dartmouth that he was "relieved" that Safety and Security officers did not try to arrest him. Chatterjee said that rushing the field was "one of the most surreal things I've ever experienced."
"Rushing the field may seem trivial, but it will be something I can tell my children that I did," Chatterjee said. "It is one of those odd, quirky things that will simply stick with me, and I feel fortunate that I was able to muster up the courage to do it."
Safety and Security did not have to run any more patrols than normal given the increased number of events, according to Montas. The number of Safety and Security officers present at the bonfire was typical for Homecoming weekend, with approximately 20 officers and a number of Hanover Police officers stationed around the perimeter.
Montas said he was pleased with the atmosphere at this year's bonfire compared to that in previous years, and that he was surprised by the amount of positivity expressed this year.
"In previous years, there has only been a smattering of people encouraging the freshman class," Montas said. "This year, I'd say it was about 50-50."
Members of the Class of 2015 said they appreciated the supportive atmosphere. Raelin Perez '15 said she felt the event struck a perfect balance between "support and hazing."
"During the bonfire, I just felt like I was a younger sibling," Perez said.
Logan Brog '15 said that although the fire's heat was uncomfortable, he enjoyed the bonfire overall.
"It was a lot of fun," Brog said. "Of course, there were some people yelling at us to touch the fire in jest, but that was all part of the fun."
Anna Walsh '15 said she appreciated the extra effort made to make freshmen feel welcomed, especially signs held by students at the bonfire such as one that read "80 percent of freshmen are decent."
"I feel that the bonfire is an example of the support upperclassmen give freshmen here," Walsh said.
