A vomiting University of Southern Maine student shut down the C-Store, and Bates students and Bowdoin alumni caused Security some headaches, but for the most part, Bowdoin's biggest party weekend of the year ran smoothly, according to College officials.
Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols called the event "as a whole, a successful Ivies," noting that "the Brunswick police had virtually no interaction with any Bowdoin students."
One Bowdoin student was transported from Coles Tower due to overconsumption of alcohol and energy drinks last Friday. According to Nichols, one transport is "fairly typical for a standard weekend, so we were pleased," given Ivies' potential for more.
There were 462 registered guests at the concert, and several of them were involved in incidents over the weekend. The USM student vomited in front of the C-Store on Thursday night at the Racer-X concert, causing the store to close an hour early.
"The USM student will be responsible for the cleaning cost and the C-Store's loss of revenue," noted Nichols.
Three incidents involving Bates students' conduct were forwarded to Bates' own security office. According to Nichols, the most serious incidents of the weekend occurred on Saturday night, when a registered event at Baxter House was shut down due to overcrowding.
"There were probably twice as many people in the building as should have been regarding our guidelines on safe occupancy," said Nichols, who noted that it took Security over 45 minutes to clear out the building.
At the Baxter event, a Bowdoin alumnus assaulted a student with a beer bottle, resulting in two lacerations to the student's scalp. The student was escorted to Parkview Adventist Medical Center by Security, and "chose not to press charges with the police," according to Nichols. "Instead, the College dealt with the incident "swiftly and appropriately." Security did not release the name of the alumnus.
As a result of this year's incidents at Baxter House, next year's Pinestock will be the only registered campus-wide event on Saturday, according to both Nichols and Foster.
The concert on Whittier Field Saturday featured rapper Childish Gambino, indie-pop band Phantogram, and DJ mash-up artist Milkman.
"I thought there was good variety," said Georgia Whitaker '14. "They were bands that I hadn't really listened to before and it was good to hear new music."
Students' enthusiasm at Saturday's concert was reciprocated by Milkman. After attending Pinestock on Saturday night, he tweeted about his visit and uploaded a photo of this Mark Wethli's Ivies T-shirt design on Monday.
"Milkman told me that he wanted everyone to know that this was one of the best college experiences he's had. He loved the audience and he loved the way they were vibing on his music," said Antonio Watson, Entertainment Board (E-Board) co-chair. "He had a great time."
In contrast, headliner Childish Gambino, who recently performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, is "at that point in his career where everyone wants to meet him, so he was kind of big on privacy," explained Ruiqi Li '13, E-Board co-chair.
There were two instances of couples having sex underneath the Whittier grandstand during the concert.
"We had some people who didn't keep it indoors. I don't know if this is the new bucket list, but I would love to see people keep those moments in more private spaces and places," said Tim Foster, dean of student affairs.
Several technical mishaps occurred throughout Saturday's concert, but there were "no major issues," according to Li. Childish Gambino's late arrival pushed the concert's sound check back an hour, and the windy, cool weather conditions made the stage colder than expected.
"We ended up hooking up six space heaters for Childish Gambino so he could bear the Maine spring," noted Foster.
During Milkman's performance, the sound cut out twice but was fixed without major delays to his set.
The introduction of a new guest registration system and concert wristbands allowed the E-Board and Security to keep track of the number of non-Bowdoin attendees at the concert. The 462 registered guests—each paying a $20 admission fee—generated over $9,000 that was used to pay for dining and facilities costs, as well as other expenses associated with the weekend.