Ivies Weekend had relatively few safety incidents this year, according to Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols.
"We've had the most successful Ivies Weekend in many years," Nichols said. "We measure success by how many students are safe."
According to Nichols, there were fewer dangerous incidents involving students this year than in many previous years. Dangerous situations were not all together avoided, however, as one student was transported to the hospital after passing out from drinking hard alcohol. Other students reported the incident and Security responded.
Since Ivies weekend involves more alcohol consumption than most Bowdoin weekends, Security prepared itself ahead of time to deal with any alcohol-related incidents that might occur. Most students did not seem to resent Security's noticeable presence on campus throughout Ivies weekend.
"Our focus was on keeping the students safe," Nichols said. "We concentrated most on alcohol and safety violations that were likely to be a risk to students. I don't measure success by how many alcohol violations we can uncover but by safety."
Nichols said that it is important to have cooperation and trust between Bowdoin students and Security in order for Security to keep students safe.
"I don't want an 'us' against 'them' situation. We were delighted that students were not injured and seemed to be working well with Security. Not only was it safe, but everybody seemed to have a good time. I say thank you to the students of Bowdoin for helping us to make it safer," said Nichols.
This Ivies Weekend was also notable for a lack of arrests. In previous years, Brunswick police have received complaints of noise, vandalism, and disruptive behavior, but there were hardly any complaints and no arrests this year. Nichols said that this is unprecedented for an Ivies Weekend.
"Brunswick police assisted and were excellent. When they had contact with a Bowdoin student, they contacted Security. They did not have to arrest any Bowdoin students," said Nichols.
Students also seemed to appreciate Security during Ivies weekend.
"It seemed that Randy Nichols and his crew entered the weekend with a good understanding of the bigger picture," Harry Schnur '08 said.
"Rather than concentrate on singling individuals out or punishing minor or harmless offenses, they saw their role in terms of maintaining collective safety," he said.
Carrie Miller '08 agreed.
"It's actually pretty cool that Bowdoin students and Security can have such a positive and understanding relationship, especially on a weekend like Ivies. Personally, I'm impressed that Security has been able to keep Bowdoin students' respect while also fostering a positive relationship with them," she said.
"Maybe the snap bracelets did it," she added.
Anne Riley contributed to this report.