Rampant public urination, minor vandalism, and one flooded College House were the only major problems at this year’s Ivies Weekend. No police issues arose for the first time in at least eight years.
“I think Ivies generally went very well. I have three rather stark criteria on Ivies: no arrests, no serious injuries and no deaths. From that standpoint we did very, very well,” said Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols.
Nichols said that some intoxicated students were “to the point where they said and did things they wouldn’t normally do, so they’re being held responsible for that.”
A few Ivies-related incidents have hearings pending with the Judicial Board, but Nichols said he was not at liberty to discuss them.
The weekend began Thursday night when DJ 3LAU performed in Morrell Gym, moving for the first time from Smith Union to accommodate the greater capacity.
However, this made both containment by Security and equipment set-up more difficult.
3LAU finished his set around midnight, giving many students the chance to go to Super Snack. The late-night meal, which Nichols said “is a huge benefit to campus safety every weekend,” had its biggest crowd of the year after 3LAU.
Saturday afternoon featured the main Ivies event, a concert featuring Hoodie Allen, Guster and student opener Phar\os.
According to Nate Hintze, associate director of Student Activities, a total of 487 guests were registered—25 more guests this year than last year. Over 40 percent of them—204 guests—were from Bates, while just 22 came from Colby. The revenue raised by charging $20 per guest totaled nearly $10,000, which helped offset the cost to the Dining Service for on-site meals at the concert. Based on a tally done by dining staff, Bowdoin fed about 2000 people in total on Whittier Field on Saturday.
“We only heard positive feedback on our end,” said Michael Hannaman ’13, Entertainment Board co-chair. “From what we heard, the performers were very genuinely excited to be here, which adds to the whole experience.”
Hoodie Allen even played basketball with students before the show, and invited some lucky concertgoers on stage at one point.
“Being on stage was thrilling,” said Filipe Camarotti ’14, one of four students who went up to participate in a dance-off.
Soon after his performance, Hoodie Allen tweeted “Bowdoin was super dope! Thank you for having me at your beautiful school”.
Upperclassmen and first years alike seemed to enjoy the performance.
“I think the performers this year were excellent,” said Dieu Ho ’15. “I had never really listened to their music before Ivies but I absolutely loved them. The E-Board did a great job in providing variety and I think it really worked.”
“Ivies lived up to every one of my expectations and more,” said Julian Tamayo ’16.
During the concert, Security had to remove a few students due to inappropriate behavior, including public urination, which was a problem throughout the weekend.
“At the concert, despite the fact that we had plenty of Port-O-Potties set up, some people still decided to urinate in full view of others,” said Nichols, who added that it was “more prevalent Friday at Brunswick Apartments.”
“One Bates student was peeing by the fence in full view of Bowker Street,” Nichols said. “When I told him we had about 20 Port-O-Potties there, he was oblivious that we had any.”
The most dangerous incident occurred in the basement of Baxter House shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday morning, when a student grabbed and broke a water pipe. The extent of the damage costs remains unknown, but Nichols estimated “it’s going to be some thousands of dollars.” The student responsible has come forward and will pay for the damages caused by his or her actions.
At other points over the weekend students reported issues with property damage and alcohol-related vandalism, some of which are still being investigated and others of which have had students identified and/or step up to take responsibility for. Security also dealt with a marijuana and drug paraphernalia issue at Brunswick Apartments, and received one noise complaint in response to an event that had already been dispersed.
Unlike previous years, when students were found having sex under the bleachers during the Saturday concert, Nichols said that “as far as we know, there was no sexy time under the bleachers this year.”
“I think the overall safety of the weekend really is a testament mostly to the students,” Nichols said. He also pointed out Dining Services as an unsung hero of campus safety.
“They’re serving food that people really want to eat, and they need to put their drinks down to eat,” he said.
Though this year’s Ivies went by largely without a hitch, Nichols acknowledged that it is different from regular weekends.
“Just like your birthday and certain holidays, Ivies comes once a year,” Nichols said. “Ivies is a little bit different, but don’t expect it to happen every weekend like that. There’s a time for Ivies and a time for reality.”