October 4, 2012
Here we go again. Many Hamilton students, faculty and administrators felt this sentiment last Monday after receiving an e-mail from Dean of Students Nancy Thompson with the subject line “Mad Dog, Vodka, and the Jitney.” The e-mail, as well as this week’s front-page article, detailed the events of Saturday, Sept. 29, which saw a shocking eleven EMT calls, four hospital transports and several harassed Jitney drivers.
Some members of the HCEMS team have expressed concern regarding this past weekend’s number of emergency calls, confirming that it is, indeed, out of the ordinary. Elevated numbers of emergency calls are typical to special events, but hardly in this quantity. The Hamilton EMTs and local emergency services were so overwhelmed by the sheer number of calls that a mass casualty alert was put into effect for the surrounding area.
The events of last weekend bring a serious problem to the table not only for Hamilton administrators but also for the community at large. While bystander intervention programs and town hall-style meetings raise awareness surrounding the issues at hand, they are far from a tangible solution. No matter how many awareness programs the College supports, the only real means to correct this blatant issue is the responsibility of the students. While it is great to look out for each other, we must also take some individual responsibility for our own personal health and safety.
While many community members found Dean Thompson’s recent e-mail regarding the events of last Saturday night amusing, her intentions and message are serious. The problem of dangerous overconsumption of alcohol on this campus must be addressed both on an individual and community level. Constant abuse of the openness of Hamilton’s policy of punishing only those who partake in destructive behavior will only lead to stricter policy changes in the future.
In addition to the exorbitant amount of EMT calls, a late night jitney driver was harassed during her rounds up and down the Hill. The incident resulted in the stoppage of Jitney service down the Hill for the night. If someone is giving up their Saturday night to shuttle intoxicated students between the campus and downtown Clinton, they should be treated graciously, not abusively. At a certain point, “I was drunk,” ceases to be a satisfying excuse.
The repetition of these destructive decisions also creates a poor image for our College. Frequent vandalism, like the destruction of a school bus on the way to an Avicii concert last week, coupled with the alarming amount of EMT calls, is not only frightening for members of the Hamilton community but also embarrassing. It sheds a bad light on the public reputation of the College while disturbing the town-gown relations that Hamilton works so hard to perfect and maintain.
We at The Spectator hope that the chatter sparked by this past weekend’s poor choices will break the pattern of the previous two. We appreciate that the College does not punish students who seek medical attention for themselves or for their friends and provides a service to get students up and down the Hill to prevent drunk driving. Students, however, should be careful not to abuse their privileges, as they are easily lost.