The Department of Safety and Security had three goals over Ivies Weekend: no hospitalizations, no serious injuries, and no arrests.
According to Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols, with the exceptions both of a student who chose to go to the hospital voluntarily and other incidents unrelated to alcohol intake, Security met its three goals.
Bowdoin Security was well prepared for the increased chaos that Ivies brings to the College. The staff prepared by doubling the number of security officers on campus as well as the presence of shift supervisors and, of course, Nichols himself. Three Safe Ride cars were also in service on Saturday night, a rarity according to Nichols.
Although the presence of Security during Ivies was certainly heightened, students were not overwhelmed by officers' attendance at Ivies events. First year Billy Rohman's experience with Security over Ivies was "nothing but positive." He noted how well Security was positioned around major events so that students had minimal contact with Brunswick Police.
"That way the issues, if there were any were Bowdoin issues, not issues with the police," said Rohman.
According to Nichols, the success of Ivies weekend was due partially to student cooperation.
"There was a good and productive relationship between Security and the students. The students knew what Security was trying to do and were able to not only understand but help," said Nichols. "There was lots of interaction between students and Security, but it was a very positive interaction."
Nichols noted that there were at least a half-dozen incidents in which Security was able to respond and help people as a result of student concern and communication. Nichols was especially impressed by one student in particular who stepped in to watch over another student who had too much to drink.
"The respect students showed for the campus, the neighbors, each other, and the College itself really lent to the good feel of the weekend," Nichols said.
Nichols said he believes that the students were receptive to the heavy presence of Security because the focus was on health and safety first; Security was not looking to get students in trouble. Nichols also noted that the success of Ivies can be attributed to the proactive approach that Security took this year.
"It was great. Security kept their distance and gave us space, but they also were there to make sure we didn't die," said Julio Bermeo '11.
"This is my third and favorite Ivies," said Nichols. "All three have gone well but this time we had a better plan, we deployed our officers more efficiently, and communicated our intentions more clearly. All of these factors really lent to the right atmosphere."
Nichols noted that many potential incidents were alleviated through a proactive stance taken by Security.
"Security officers are constantly gazing over the crowd and looking for catalysts," Nichols explained. "They are looking at body language, for someone touching another person inappropriately, or arguing. We are able to prevent these smaller events from escalating by jumping in and defusing the tension."
Security did not hesitate to take action that would prevent further mischief.
"If we had a concern, people had to leave," Nichols said. "As a result, we had no big incidents."
Nichols was also pleased to report that the Ivies activities, for the most part, went over well with neighboring residents, an issue that has been somewhat problematic in the past.
"This year, we had virtually no noise complaints," said Nichols. "Remarkably, there were no issues with the late-night shows. The only incidents we had were during the Saturday performances. Some of the neighbors and their children were able to hear profanity in the between-song banter."
Nichols, who described the language used during the concert as "pretty raw," was not surprised by their frustrations.
Student hosts were proactive in preparing neighbors for events such as Pinestock. In their planning they sent out fliers notifying residents in advance and asking neighbors to bear with them as the events took place, assuring them that the disruption would be kept to a minimum.
Incidentally, many of the real problems that arose during Ivies were a result of the behavior of non-Bowdoin students. Several criminal trespassing warnings were issued when a couple of people were removed from Pinestock, according to Nichols.
Nichols believes that the lack of affiliation with the College was partially responsible for the incidents that occurred.
"Non-students don't have the same buy-in," he said. "They don't have the same respect for the College [as students] and are just looking for a good time."
Nichols stated that next year, the College will definitely stress more the importance of responsibility for guests. He warns students to "be careful of who is invited and be ready to accept responsibility for your guests."