Alcohol Safety

The health and safety of members of the Dartmouth community are primary concerns of the College. The Department of Safety and Security will assist those individuals who abuse alcohol by facilitating transport to emergency facilities at the hospital or to the College Health Service or by taking other protective measures. Students are expected to inform Safety and Security when assistance is needed.

Good Samaritan Clause

When a student or organization assists an intoxicated individual in procuring the assistance of Safety and Security, local or state police, and/or medical professionals, neither the intoxicated individual, if a Dartmouth student, nor the individual or group who assists will be subject to formal College disciplinary action for (1) being intoxicated, or (2) having provided that person alcohol. This refers to isolated incidents only and does not excuse or protect those individuals or organizations who flagrantly or repeatedly violate the Student Alcohol Policy.

At some point you may be asked to look after a student that has been evaluated and judged to be in no immediate medical danger.The following is an informational sheet that will be given to you at that time.

Suggestions for Taking Care of an Intoxicated Person

This information sheet contains some facts about alcohol intoxication and some information to assist you in your efforts. The person you have agreed to watch has been evaluated and is judged to be in no immediate medical danger. The following information should help prevent harm from coming to that person or to other people in the environment.

A person who is intoxicated to the point of requiring Dept. of Safety and Security intervention will require approximately four hours of monitoring after his or her last drink before s/he can be left unsupervised. At this point, a significant amount of time has already passed. If the officer has not informed you already, be sure to ask now how much supervision time is needed.

The intoxicated person can hurt him/herself by driving, by falling or stumbling, by getting into a fight, by vomiting or choking, by using more alcohol or other drugs, and other similar mishaps. You can help prevent these kinds of events from happening. The following suggestions can assist you in this task.

Put the person to bed and try to keep him/her there. The person should be positioned on the side or stomach, rather than on the back. Check in on the person at least once per hour.
As noted above the person has been judged to be in no immediate medical danger. Accordingly, it is unlikely that vomiting and choking will occur. However, if the person has actually vomited, verify that breathing continues unhampered. If the person is choking or has stopped breathing and you know how to perform CPR, take the appropriate steps. If not, immediately call for an ambulance (911) and try to find someone who knows CPR.
Alcohol poisoning can occur if the intoxicated person resumes drinking. If this happens, it is possible for breathing to become difficult or even stop. In order to prevent this, make every effort to prevent the intoxicated person from further consumption of alcohol or other drugs. If s/he continues to drink or use drugs despite your best efforts, notify the Dept. of Safety and Security (646-4000).
If the person insists on being out of bed, stay with him or her in order to make sure the person does not injure him/herself (for example, by falling down the stairs, walking on a porch roof, etc.).
If the person becomes violent or unruly, call the Dept. of Safety and Security (646-4000) or the Hanover Police (911) for assistance.
Make every effort to prevent the intoxicated person from driving a motor vehicle. If this is impossible, notify the Dept. of Safety and Security or the Hanover Police immediately. Report to them the driver's name, the make, model, color, and license plate number of the car, and the person's route and destination, if known.

For more information about the Dartmouth Alcohol & Drug Policies please refer to your student hand book pages 170-176 or go to: