HANOVER — Dartmouth College officials are investigating whether dozens of students violated COVID-19 safety protocols Saturday night after police were called to two off-campus Halloween parties.
More than 20 undergraduates attended a gathering on South Main Street in Lebanon. After responding to a noise complaint just after midnight, Lebanon police cited 19 of those in attendance with underage drinking, and charged another two with hosting the underage party, according to a news release from Lebanon police.
Though the season was canceled due to COVID-19, at least eight of those in attendance at the party, including the two hosts, are listed on the Big Green football team’s 2020 roster.
Earlier that night, more than 50 people, few wearing masks, attended a separate party involving Dartmouth students on Lyme Road in Hanover, according to a Monday news release from the Hanover Police Department.
Several attendees fled on foot, but police were able to identify more than 30 people who were at the party, Hanover police said.
The investigation into the Halloween party on Lyme Road in Hanover on Saturday is ongoing. Those with further information are asked to contact the Hanover Police Department at 603-643-2222.
The two parties occurred “just when we thought things were going so well,” Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin said in an email.
Residents and business owners in Hanover expressed concerns this summer about the college’s plans to welcome students back in person amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But, so far, the college has not seen the outbreaks that have occurred at some other colleges and universities around the country.
College officials are “looking into reports regarding student gatherings in violation of COVID-19 guidelines,” Dartmouth spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said in an email.
Lawrence declined to provide information about the number of students Dartmouth has sent home due to COVID-19 violations, saying that to protect students’ privacy Dartmouth does not “typically announce any details regarding student behavior outcomes.”
The college’s guidelines forbid students from attending gatherings of more than nine people unless the gathering has been approved by the college.
Students are required to wear masks and physically distance while on campus, and to abide by health and safety guidelines of the communities where they reside or travel.
Both Hanover and Lebanon have mask ordinances in place.
Griffin said she has been pleased with the college’s response when students fail to abide by its COVID-19 precautions. She said the college has sent some students home, but she didn’t know how many. In September, at least 23 students at the Tuck School of Business were required to quarantine after a party in a graduate student dormitory.
“I can attest to the fact that the Administration has taken the Community Expectations Agreement very, very seriously and that they have been quick to act and decisive,” Griffin wrote. “This will be even more important as we see COVID spike nationwide, including in New Hampshire and in Grafton County. Now, more than ever before, we need every person, including Dartmouth students and other young adults, to take their obligation to the larger community very seriously.”
There were four active cases among Dartmouth faculty and staff as of Sunday and no cases in students. In total, 12 students and seven staff members at Dartmouth have tested positive since July 1. Another 11 students and four staff members are in quarantine, and two students and six staff are in isolation.
The college has reported one outbreak this fall, involving three students living off-campus.
There are 1,407 active cases in New Hampshire, including 105 new cases announced on Monday, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
There were 69 active cases of COVID-19 in Grafton County and 23 in Sullivan County as of Monday. There have been 11,320 cases in New Hampshire since the pandemic began.
Vermont health officials announced 23 new cases on Monday.
There have been a total of 2,219 cases in Vermont.
There have been 20 new cases in Windsor County in the past 14 days and eight in Orange County, according to the Vermont Department of Health.
Storrs Hill plans to reopen for the winter season in late December and begin regular programs in January, with COVID-19 precautions in place.
Masks and social distancing will be required, and access to the Lebanon ski hill’s indoor spaces will be limited, according to a message from the Lebanon Outing Club President Cory Grant posted to Facebook on Monday. The club is working to install seating outside and to create fire pits, he said.
All the club’s regular programs are expected to take place, including lessons; ski jumping and racing teams; and public skiing, Grant wrote. Updates will be posted to the club’s website and social media pages.
Schools in the White River Valley have changed their schedules to allow for travel during the holiday break in December. Dec. 21 and 22 will now be professional development days for teachers, meaning students will not attend, according to an Oct. 28 update from White River Valley Supervisory Union Superintendent Jamie Kinnarney.
The break runs from Dec. 23-Jan. 1, and Jan. 4-8 will now be virtual learning days.
“With this change, families who choose to travel could do so as early as (Dec. 18),” Kinnarney wrote. “This calendar change will also allow for a full two weeks of quarantine after a return to Vermont as late as (Dec. 28).”
The White River Valley Supervisory Union includes schools in the Upper Valley towns of Bethel, Chelsea, Royalton, Sharon, Strafford and Tunbridge.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
