Dartblog

third in a series; read the first part here and the second part here.

The first lines of the College’s Good Samaritan policy read as follows:

Student health and safety are the primary concerns of the Dartmouth community. Students are expected to contact Safety and Security when they believe that assistance for an intoxicated/impaired student is needed. The Department of Safety and Security (DOSS) will assist intoxicated individuals by providing or facilitating transport to medical facilities at the College Health Service, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, or by taking other protective measures. [Emphasis added]

To my knowledge, the College respects the Good Sam policy to the letter, but it knowingly violates its spirit on a regular basis. Students only use Good Sam when they have a friend who is truly hammered: someone so s**tfaced (the term of art in the late ‘70’s) that it is more than likely that their BAC will merit an ambulance ride to DHMC. The College is quite aware that when the personnel at Dick’s House or Safety & Security call for an ambulance to transport an intoxicated student to DHMC, they are simultaneously calling the Hanover police:

Police responded to assist an ambulance when Safety and Security discovered an intoxicated, unresponsive Dartmouth student lying on a bathroom floor in Cohen Hall. The 19-year-old male was found lying in a pile of his own vomit, on his side and was still breathing upon discovery. He was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center where he was arrested for unlawful possession and intoxication. [From The Dartmouth’s Police Blotter column]

Hanover Police responded to an ambulance request to transport a 19-year-old female Dartmouth student from Dick’s House. The student, who seemed to be intoxicated, was brought to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She received a summons to appear in court on April 6, but is not eligible for the diversions program as she had been arrested twice previously in 2008 for unlawful possession and intoxication. [From The Dartmouth’s Police Blotter column]

Why? Because when you call for an ambulance, you are calling the same Dispatch Center operator whom you would call for a police emergency. A call for an ambulance is a call to the police. As the Hanover Po itself describes its Dispatcher on its web site:

We are a Regional Dispatch Center and serve 23 Towns and 55 different agencies, supporting Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services and Public Works agencies in both Vermont and New Hampshire. [Emphasis added]

So what can be done to prevent the arrest of hundreds of Dartmouth students for what amounts to a regrettable right of passage? I’ll try to answer that question on Monday.