The College does not plan to alter its policies regarding students swimming in the Connecticut River after a man drowned at River Fest, a senior week event held at the Chieftain Inn earlier this month.
On June 5, Ernest Amoh, who was visiting his brother Justice Amoh '13 for Commencement, drowned around three miles north of campus.
"At Dartmouth we think that we have a very smart and very responsible river safety plan that is in place," said Justin Anderson, assistant vice president for media relations. "It can and will be modified if and when we see ways it can be improved."
The College last took action on river safety in 2010, when the docks were closed for a year and moved to a safer location 200 feet downstream.
"Between 2010 and 2011 we did a lot to make swimming at the river more safe," Anderson said. "We're going to look for new ways to improve safety but as of this summer there are no new measures that are implemented."
The current policy allows students to swim in an area adjacent to the swimming docks during daylight hours when there is a lifeguard on duty.
No swimming is allowed at any time from the crew team docks, the College safety dock or the Ledyard Canoe Club dock, and no one is allowed on any of the docks after dark.
Some students said that despite the overwhelming popularity of swimming in the river, it is the College's duty to ensure the safety of both students and non-students when they are on College property.
Alan Gottesman '13, who along with others attempted to rescue Amoh, said the College needs to exercise better oversight on river events.
College students often misjudge danger levels and think they can protect themselves despite their inability to follow safety procedures, Gottesman said. He suggested raising campus awareness about safety issues, noting that the incident demonstrates the way Dartmouth generally approaches safety.
"It was kind of like a failure of everyone who was at that party not to realize how unsafe it was," he said. "College students are generally overconfident about safety."
At River Fest, canoes from the Chieftain Inn were available for all students to use. Gottesman called the process "poorly supervised" and "completely unregulated," as students crowded the canoes at or over maximum capacity and were not supervised by lifeguards. Other students had consumed alcohol at the party before taking the canoes out, and some did not know how to swim, he said.
"One person in the canoe that I was in couldn't swim," Gottesman said. "She could barely tread water, which really freaked me out afterwards."
Ellian Liche '14, who has rented Dartmouth canoes from Ledyard, said that operators do not ask whether or not renters can swim.
"When you are on a canoe, you don't assume that you need to know how to swim," she said. "Students need to be more aware of the dangers involved with renting canoes."
Liche suggested that the College require students who pass the swim test to keep a sticker on their Dartmouth ID, just as those who use the Dartmouth Skiway receive a sticker after signing up for a skiing class.
Gottesman said that noise levels and the distance across the river at River Fest posed a problem when he and his friends attempted to call for help from Vermont, where Ernest Amoh had jumped from a rope swing. They could not be heard over the music blasting from the New Hampshire side.
Justice Amoh told Gottesman that he and his brother both thought that the riverbank was shallow, and they were not aware of the quick drop-off because there were no caution signs, Gottesman said.
"Personally, I think that a lot of things could have been changed at that party," Gottesman said, suggesting installing signs warning that students have died using rope swings on the river.
Rope swings are currently prohibited on College or Hanover grounds. Anderson said that every summer, Safety and Security cuts down rope swings that appear on Dartmouth's property.
Gottesman recommended that even the events on College property be monitored and supplied with life jackets in canoes, regardless of who owns them.
Anderson said that because River Fest is an off-campus event, the College cannot impose safety regulations for next year's party.
While students must complete a swim test by senior year, Gottesman recommended that students finish the swim test their freshman year.
Aditya Shah '15 said the College should establish criteria for attendance at River Fest, though he is unsure how the administration would be able to implement such a policy.
Anderson said that there are risks involved any time individuals enter water that must be considered alongside Dartmouth's responsibility to keep students safe.
"While we want to make going into the river as safe as it can possibly be, we still know that there will be an inherent risk," Anderson said. "We know that students will swim up and down the river what we can do is do what is in our power to make the area that is part of Dartmouth as safe as possible."
