Over the weekend, Dartmouth's chapter of the Ivy Council an organization that includes representatives from Ivy League universities' student governments hosted the 13th annual Ivy Leadership Summit, which brings students together for keynote presentations, meetings and networking opportunities, according to Ivy Council President Nick Judson '14. During the event, multiple attendees visiting from other universities were arrested for underage drinking, according to students.
It is the first time that Dartmouth has hosted the summit, Judson said.
"[The summit] has taken different forms each year, and this year we are trying to create a conference that is not just about the weekend," Judson said. "We are trying to intertwine this mentality that what will happen with the conference will stay with the people."
Previous conferences have encouraged the development of new programs, including the spread of gender neutral floor arrangements, throughout Ivy League institutions, Judson said.
Because Dartmouth students were preparing for final exams, attendance varied by event, according to conference chair Alesy Iturrey '14.
"Because the summit was on Dartmouth's campus, I think Dartmouth students felt they could be more flexible in the events they could go to, rather than students from other schools who felt they needed to attend everything," Austin Boral '16, who registered students for the conference, said.
Small group discussions were not well-attended, but the events' speakers were engaging and encouraged "earnest" participation, according to conference attendee Thomas Wang '16 said.
A Google presentation that focused on the company's unique horizontal employment structure was the best-attended speaking event, according to Boral.
"They tried to relay that being a leader in a field is more than having a leadership position it's having a big idea and pursuing it," he said.
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, former Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., trustee and WNBA President Laurel Richie '81, Tuck School of Business Associate Dean of the MBA Program Matthew Slaughter, Rockefeller Center Director Andrew Samwick and College President Carol Folt all spoke at weekend events.
Dartmouth students served as hosts for conference attendees over the weekend, and students said that some attendees were rude and disruptive.
A student host who wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the topic said that attendees who stayed on her floor were among the most pretentious people she has ever met.
"One girl from Cornell [University] who was staying with us ended up showing up at the dorm at 3 a.m. on Friday night with [Safety and Security] and [the Hanover Police]," she said. "Also, a girl from Columbia [University] staying with someone on our floor asked her if she could smoke weed in the dorm before she even put her bags down."
Students said space limitations also frustrated those who hosted conference attendees.
"I hosted a student from Yale [University], and I live in a two-room triple, so having one more body makes it super cramped," Justin Maffet '16 said. "I don't think I'm going to host anyone again unless they are a close friend."
Another source who wished to remain anonymous due to the nature of his comments said that the attendees he met drank excessively over the course of the weekend.
"One girl [from Cornell University] was highly intoxicated," he said. "When [Safety and Security] showed up for her, the guy I was hosting had been drinking too, so [Safety and Security] took him as well. I got the impression that a lot of visiting students really wanted to party."
Director of Safety and Security Harry Kinne was not available for comment by press time.
Despite these encounters, students who attended the conference said they had a positive experience.
"I really enjoyed Tuck professor Matthew Slaughter's lecture at the banquet," Ethan Yu '16 said. "One thing he said that I thought was really profound was about how the American people are willing to make great sacrifices during times of war even giving up their lives and that is something we need to see more of today given the crisis we're in."
Ivy Summit Director of Speaker Outreach Andres Ramirez '14 said that the conference afforded students the opportunity to network with other Ivy League students.
"I really enjoyed meeting students from other schools especially Harvard [University] and Brown [University] because they're pretty close," Maffet said.
Judson is a member of The Dartmouth Senior Business Staff and Iturrey is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
