As students welcomed in the new school year, Duke Police officials spent their orientation week working to ensure student safety during one of the most high-risk periods of the academic year.
Chief John Dailey of the Duke University Police Department said that during the weekend of orientation his force was busier than usual, adding that DUPD had additional staffing and established several drunken driving check points near campus.
“We do specifically prepare for these first couple of weekends of school. They tend to be dangerous weekends, especially for new students,” Dailey said.
As students welcomed in the new school year, Duke Police officials spent their orientation week working to ensure student safety during one of the most high-risk periods of the academic year.
Chief John Dailey of the Duke University Police Department said that during the weekend of orientation his force was busier than usual, adding that DUPD had additional staffing and established several drunken driving check points near campus.
“We do specifically prepare for these first couple of weekends of school. They tend to be dangerous weekends, especially for new students,” Dailey said. “I think [the checkpoints] act as a deterrent and get people who are drinking off the road.”
Despite a number alcohol citations, though, Dailey said no students were victims or perpetrators of serious crimes. In addition, no students were arrested at the checkpoints, he added.
Although DUPD paid significant attention paid to alcohol-related misconduct, Dailey said his greatest concern was student safety.
“I think the concerning thing about orientation week is that a couple times during the week we received calls about students that were unattended and passed out,” Dailey said. “That’s what worries us.”
Although the heightened security increased the likelihood that students would be apprehended, Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said the amount of student misconduct during orientation weekend this year was no higher than that of an average weekend at Duke.
“I don’t think that this week and weekend were necessarily worse than other weekends,” she said, explaining that during orientation week officials work especially hard to make certain that students and student leaders know the University’s expectations.
Indeed, for all their added preparation, Duke administrators said the number of citations during orientation week reflected that of any extended weekend.
“[Orientation week] is typically like any other big weekend.” Dailey said. “We probably had an alcohol-related incident every night.”
For some students, the increased security presence was a noticeable, and unexpected, addition to the night.
“I’ve never seen so many police officials in one night,” said sophomore Lauren Martin. “It’s good that they’re enforcing people’s safety, but it was a little overwhelming.”
Sophomore Issy Chammah said that while she was waiting in a line of cars pulled over at a driving checkpoint, she watched the police make all the passengers in a taxi in front of her exit the car and take sobriety tests.
“It was a little over-the-top to take the kids out of their cabs,” she said. “Obviously there was drinking going on, but if [the students] are taking cabs they’re being responsible.”
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