Student EMTs Give Up Green Key to Keep Dartmouth Safe

While thousands of Dartmouth students celebrate Green Key weekend with concerts and parties, dozens of student volunteers trade their party plans for emergency medical kits and overnight shifts.

Green Key is one of Dartmouth's largest social events, drawing massive crowds to Friday's concert on Gold Coast lawn. It's also the busiest weekend of the year for campus safety, bigger than Homecoming or Commencement according to emergency manager Ron Swartz.

Student EMTs with Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services provide continuous coverage from Wednesday at 10 p.m. through Sunday at 9 a.m. That's 80 straight hours of shifts, compared to just two nights during a typical weekend. The most common calls involve alcohol intoxication, heat exhaustion, and injuries from falls.

"What really stuck with me is how devoted our community is to helping the campus, that people are willing to give up Green Key or a Friday or Saturday night to provide coverage when they could be going out and having a lot of fun," said executive director Alex DiCorpo.

The preparation starts weeks before the first concert. Student EMTs conduct safety trainings at every Greek house, teaching students how to use Narcan for opioid reversals and the new automated external defibrillators installed across campus.

On event nights, the campus transforms into a coordinated emergency response network. When Safety and Security officers respond to calls, student EMTs are dispatched alongside them to provide medical care and make transport decisions. If students need more help, they can be admitted to Dick's House, one of only 12 residential college infirmaries in the entire country.

Dick's House takes a preventative approach too. At the annual Block Party, staff set up tables offering water, electrolytes, snacks, sunscreen, and insect repellent to help students stay healthy before problems start.

Why This Inspires

These student volunteers represent the best of campus culture. They're not professionals required to work these shifts. They're college students choosing to miss the biggest party weekend of the year because they know their classmates need them. Their commitment shows that looking out for each other matters more than any celebration.

Campus officials emphasize Dartmouth's Good Samaritan policy, which protects students who call for help from alcohol-related discipline. "It is a lot better to have your friend minorly upset at you" than to hesitate when someone needs medical attention, DiCorpo noted.

When the music stops and the weekend ends, most students will never know which of their classmates spent those nights keeping them safe.