While this year’s Green Key weekend involved fewer alcohol-related incidents than last year’s, records indicate that this year’s numbers closely resemble those of years prior to 2014, with Safety and Security director Harry Kinne calling last year an “abnormality” in terms of increased safety incidents.
Hanover Police Lieutenant Bradford Sargent said that this year saw significantly lower crime rates, with 17 arrests compared to last year’s 34.
Of the 17 arrests made overall, Sargent said 15 were directly related to Green Key. Seven of the 15 arrested people were Dartmouth students, while the others were not affiliated with the College. All but one of the Green Key-related arrests involved alcohol, he said.
Sargent said that the majority of this year’s incidents occurred prior to, during and shortly after Friday’s Programming Board Concert on Gold Coast Lawn.
Sargent said that it is hard to tell whether this year’s decrease in arrests is directly tied to the recent hard alcohol ban, but that the Hanover Police has tried to work with the College to implement this term’s reforms and reduce the number of drinking-related incidents.
Kinne said that Safety and Security felt increased collaboration with event staff this weekend.
“I think we saw less instances regarding hard alcohol,” Kinne said. “Many events contacted our office early seeking advice and coverage at the event and checking in to make sure that we were aware.”
Kinne said that fewer students were sent to Dick’s House and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center compared to last year, and that the number of calls made to Safety and Security was about half the number placed last year.
He said that the number of incidents this year was “on par with Winter Carnival.”
Eric Ramsey, Collis Center director and head of the inaugural Green Key committee, said that the committee was able to increase communication and safety overall. The Green Key committee, a centralized safety and planning committee, was formed this year in response to a shortage of resources during last year’s big weekend.
The committee consists of students and staff who planned the weekend’s events.
“It was to boost communication to make sure that event planners have the best support possible,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey said that the committee model increased communication between administrators, Hanover Police and Safety and Security through the use of a single online calendar to allocate appropriate resources.
This year was the first year that Collis approached Green Key in a similar way to Homecoming and Winter Carnival with regards to using a committee model. Any potential improvements to the model will be addressed in a future debriefing, Ramsey said.
Traditionally, the most active weekend for Safety and Security is Homecoming Weekend, known for its influx of alumni and visitors, Kinne said. Kinne said last year’s high number of incidents was an “abberation.”
“[This year] was more aligned with past Green Key weekends other than last year’s,” Kinne said. “I’ve been here for 12 years, and last year’s Green Key was the most active with the most amount of people needing medical attention.”
Kinne said that the changes in the College alcohol policy and the Collis Center’s organizational skills might have been beneficial in resulting in reduced crime this weekend.
Kinne said that the Town of Hanover was largely involved with the planning process.
“Hanover Police Chief [Charlie] Dennis was present at [Green Key] meetings and was hearing all the things that the College was doing,” Kinne said.
This year, Safety and Security worked exceptionally closely with the Fire Department and the Police Department using the Green Key committee’s resources, he said.
The Safety and Security blotter will be released later this week.
