Alcohol and Drug Policy

Reason for Policy

The unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students on College property or as any part of a College-sponsored activity is strictly prohibited. Local, state, and federal laws prohibit the unlawful use, manufacture, possession, control, sale and dispensation of any illegal narcotic or other drugs. These laws carry penalties for violations, including monetary fines and imprisonment.

Affected Parties

All Groups

Policy Statement

Student Alcohol Policy

The primary concern of the Alcohol Policy is the health and safety of members of the College community. The specific policies that follow apply to all Dartmouth students on or off campus. These policies also apply in connection with student programs, events, and activities of the College and its recognized student organizations. College-recognized organizations include, but are not limited to, the following: Greek Letter Organizations and Societies (Greek Life), senior societies, undergraduate societies, COSO recognized groups, athletic teams, residence hall councils, class councils, etc. For the purposes of this policy, College-recognized organizations also include any group that has matriculated Dartmouth College students as a majority of its members and has official College status.

If an individual College department or office, in order to ensure consistency with its mission and objectives, develops more restrictive policies regarding the possession, use or distribution of alcohol, then the department or office will notify those affected and the more restrictive policy will apply.

I. Possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by individuals under the applicable legal drinking age is a violation of College policy. Purchasing alcohol or attempting to purchase alcohol for an individual under the legal drinking age, or distributing alcohol to an individual under the legal drinking age either by someone over the legal drinking age or by someone under the legal drinking age through the use of false identification is prohibited.

II. Public intoxication is prohibited. Intoxication is identified by generally reliable signs. These signs may include, but are not limited to, the strong odor of alcohol on an individual's breath, slurred speech, impaired coordination, glassy eyes, or exaggerated emotions and behaviors. Students may be considered to have violated the College policy prohibiting public intoxication if their level of impairment attracts the attention of College, town, or other officials and warrants medical care or custody by police. With respect to this policy, "public" is understood to be any place to which members of the community have general access, including hallways, common spaces, and rest rooms of administrative and academic buildings, residence halls, and organization-affiliated houses. It does not include students' individual rooms.

III. Possession, consumption, or service of hard alcohol (30 proof or higher) by undergraduate students and organizations is prohibited on campus and at events held by College recognized undergraduate organizations and athletic teams both on and off campus.  In addition, no one may possess, serve, or consume hard alcohol in or on the grounds of the following undergraduate facilities: Residence Halls, Greek Houses, Undergraduate and Senior Societies, Affinity Houses, Collis Center, Tom Dent Cabin, Robinson Hall, and '53 Commons including Sarner Underground.

IV. Students and student organizations shall abide by the Good Samaritan Policy.

V. Providing an alcoholic beverage to an obviously intoxicated person is prohibited (See Section II).

VI. Students of legal drinking age may consume alcohol in their rooms, in the common spaces of residential facilities, and in Greek houses, senior and undergraduate society properties/facilities. Social events in these spaces with alcohol must be registered. (See Section XI for a list of locations at which social events may be registered.)

  • 10 or more people with alcohol present in a residential space must be registered with Residential Education
  • Dartmouth College defines a social event as a group of 40 or more people
  • College recognized student organizations that wish to host events at which alcohol may be present must conform to the Alcohol Management Program (AMP)

The possession of open containers of alcoholic beverages, and/or the consumption of alcoholic beverages, is specifically prohibited:

  • In and around academic, administrative, and athletic buildings;
  • On the Green;
  • On the streets and sidewalks of the campus;
  • In the cemetery or the Bema;
  • At intercollegiate, club or intramural athletic events, wherever they are held, whether on or off the Dartmouth campus;
  • In the vicinity of the Connecticut River in conjunction with water-related activities.
  • Outside of, or on the grounds of, residence halls, Greek facilities, undergraduate and senior societies, academic affinities, special interest houses, or other student organizational facilities, and in any other specified areas including decks porches fire escapes and roofs.

Special exceptions can be made by the Office of Student Life or by the Deans of the graduate and professional schools for: the Bema; in and around academic, administrative and athletic buildings; on sidewalks and streets of the campus; and in the immediate vicinity of a College-registered event. Requests for exceptions regarding facilities managed by the Student Affairs Division should be addressed to the Office of Student Life.

VII. The College prohibits the possession of paraphernalia designed or used to deliver a high volume of alcohol or to facilitate rapid alcohol intake.

VIII. Common sources of alcohol (kegs, half-kegs, quarter-kegs, beer balls or punch bowls) are not permitted in College residence halls or on the premises of any College-recognized organizations. Special exceptions to this provision may be granted by the Office of Student Life or by the Deans of the graduate and professional schools to graduate organizations and activities. Punches containing alcohol are strictly prohibited.

IX. Commercial delivery of alcohol to individual students or student groups at Dartmouth is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, the commercial delivery of alcohol to College residence halls or to any College recognized organization, except for social events that have been properly registered with specific permission for the delivery of alcohol.

X. No College funds designated for student programming and activities, nor COSO, Greek Life Office, undergraduate society, or other funds designated for College-recognized student organizations, may be used for the specific purchase of alcohol. Such funds may be used for training or employment of servers (see section XII) or for the purchase of food and non-alcoholic beverages. No alcoholic beverages may be purchased through the treasury of any College-recognized organization. This policy shall not apply to religious practices of those religious organizations recognized by the The William Jewett Tucker Center. Special exceptions to this provision may be granted to undergraduate organizations or activities by the Office of Student Life or by the Deans of the graduate and professional schools to graduate organizations or activities.

XI. College recognized student organizations that wish to host events at which alcohol may be present must conform to the Alcohol Management Program (AMP), which may be obtained online at https://students.dartmouth.edu/student-life/programs/alcohol-management-program.  

Those procedures state that any organization planning to host social events with alcohol must have a documented Internal Management Plan submitted to their recognizing department.  Registration of social events is the responsibility of the hosting organization as described by the AMP procedures. The online registration form is available at https://students.dartmouth.edu/student-life/programs/alcohol-management-program/register-event

Designated social spaces in residential facilities (including Greek houses) are limited to lounges, television rooms, and multipurpose rooms. Hallways, stairways, bathrooms, roofs, decks, porches, fire escapes, study rooms, seminar rooms, computer rooms, and all other public areas are specifically not considered designated social spaces, for fire and safety or community reasons. There are many non-residential designated social spaces on campus. Students can consult the Conference and Events Office or the Office of Student Life for further information about the use of these spaces.

XII. At social events where alcohol is present, all servers must be 21 years old or employed by a licensed caterer. Servers may not consume any alcohol or be under the influence of any other substances prior to and during the event. All servers must be Dartmouth trained or approved professionals. The Office of Student Life facilitates a training program designed to teach problem-solving related to alcohol use and abuse, knowledge of the College alcohol policy and the alcohol laws of the State of New Hampshire, recognition of emergency situations and elementary emergency training, preparation and clean-up procedures related to serving, and additional information presented by the training staff.

Violations of the Student Alcohol Policy

Adjudication of the College alcohol policy is informed by the College's primary concern for the health and safety of the College community. In an effort to help students understand the College's alcohol policy, the likely consequences of choosing to violate the policy are described below.  The response to a violation will take into account a variety of factors including an individual or organization's conduct history, time elapsed between multiple violations, the presence of aggravating factors (i.e., other misconduct or deception), and the presence of mitigating factors (i.e., completion of a treatment program if substance abuse is indicated).

First Beer or Wine Incident

A student's first alcohol incident (public intoxication and/or underage possession/consumption of beer or wine) will be handled with an educational referral to a Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS).  (Here, "beer or wine" is used to describe all alcohol that is below 30 proof and thus not covered by the "hard alcohol" provisions of this policy.  The fact that a beverage is not "beer" or "wine" is not a defense to a charge of violating this policy.)  The student will not be subject to College disciplinary action with respect to the alcohol policy for first beer or wine incident. Students must participate in this program to avoid a disciplinary sanction. In addition, students are encouraged to talk with their undergraduate dean, counselors, and/ or alcohol educators, about the role alcohol is playing in their life at Dartmouth.

Dartmouth imposes disciplinary sanctions for violations of the alcohol policy as a means to educate students and deter behavior that negatively impacts the individual or the community. If a student fails to complete the education/medical program, repeatedly violates the alcohol policy, or violates other college policies, he or she will be subject to disciplinary sanctions. Sanctions increase in severity with repeated offenses and serious misconduct.

Responses to Other Beer/Wine Violations

Violation Type

Incident

Likely Conduct Response*

Underage Possession/Consumption or

Public Intoxication

2nd Incident

Warning

 

3rd Incident

Reprimand

 

4th Incident

College Probation

 

 

 

Providing To Minors

1st Incident

Reprimand

 

2nd Incident

College Probation

 

 

 

Organization Providing to Minors**

1st Incident

Alcohol may not be consumed or served

at organizational events or on the premises

for a specified period of time.

Hard Alcohol Violations

Violation Type

Incident

Likely Conduct Response*

Possession/Consumption or

Public Intoxication

1st Incident

Hard Alcohol Warning

 

2nd Incident

1 Term Suspension

 

3rd Incident

2 Term Suspension

 

 

 

Providing Hard Alcohol to Others

1st Incident

1 Term Suspension

 

2nd Incident

2 Term Suspension

 

 

 

Organization Providing

Hard Alcohol To Others**

1st Incident

1 Term Suspension followed by a specified period

of time when alcohol may not be consumed or served

at organizational events or on the premises.

 

2nd Incident

1 Year Suspension

 

3rd Incident

Permanent Loss of Recognition

*All incidents involving a violation of Dartmouth's Alcohol or Other Drug policy include an educational and/or medical referral.
**Organization leaders and/or event coordinators will also be held accountable for violations of this policy and violations of the Social Event Management Procedures.

Additional violations may be addressed with the full range of conduct sanctions, up to and including permanent separation from the College. Student health and safety are the primary concerns of the Dartmouth community; therefore additional individual student circumstances may prompt a higher degree of medical response. Student organizations should expect extended periods of suspension or permanent loss of organizational recognition for additional violations of this policy.

Driving Under the Influence

Students who violate the New Hampshire state statutes by driving while impaired will be subject to disciplinary action by the College. The likely sanction for driving under the influence is suspension.

Alcohol Laws of the State of New Hampshire

The following summary of some pertinent state laws regarding alcohol is not exhaustive, and is subject to change. If students have questions concerning the scope and applications of the law, they should consult legal counsel.

All students are reminded that under New Hampshire Law, it is illegal to:

1.  Sell or give away any alcoholic beverage to a person under the age of 21 or to any intoxicated person regardless of age. NH RSA 179:5. Violation is a Class A misdemeanor: up to one year in jail and/or $2,000 fine.

2.  Sell, transfer, gift or deliver, leave, barter, or exchange with another any liquor or alcoholic beverage without a state issued permit. Charging admission at the door of an event at which alcohol is served may be considered by State officials to be a "sale" requiring a state liquor license. NH RSA 178:1. Violation is a Class B felony; individual incarceration up to 7 years; $4,000 fine; corporate fine not to exceed $100,000.

3.  If under 21:

a. To falsely represent your age for the purpose of obtaining liquor or other alcoholic beverage. NH RSA 179:9. Violation is a misdemeanor for first offense, with a minimum fine of $500; second or subsequent offense, minimum fine of $1,000.

b. Possess, use or display in any manner a false identification card, document, license, or any other document which misrepresents a person's age for the purpose of purchasing liquor, or alcoholic beverages. NH RSA 179:9. Violation is a misdemeanor; first offense, minimum fine of $500, second or subsequent offense, minimum fine of $1,000; withdrawal of drivers license or issued ID card for 90 days.

c. Possess any liquor or alcoholic beverage, or be intoxicated by consumption of an alcoholic beverage. NH RSA 179:10. This is a violation level offense. First offense, minimum fine of $300; second offense, minimum fine of $600. For purposes of this section,.02% or more for persons under the age of 21, is evidence of intoxication.

d. Operate a motor vehicle in which open containers of alcoholic beverages are found. NH RSA 265A:44. This is a violation level offense which shall be subject to a $150 fine and can result in suspension of driver's license for 60 days for a first offense and up to one year for subsequent offenses.

4.  Have a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or more if 21 or over and .02% or more if under 21 and:

a.  Operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or any controlled drug or any combination of alcohol and controlled drug. NH RSA 265-A:2. Violation is a Class B Misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $500; completion of an impaired driver intervention program; revocation of privilege to drive for minimum of 90 days, up to two years, and possible required drug or alcohol treatment. NH RSA 265-A:18.

b.  Operate a motor vehicle, while under the influence and drive over 30 mph or cause a vehicle collision resulting in serious injury to person of another, or attempt to elude police. NH RSA 265-A:3. Violation is a Class A misdemeanor; minimum fine of $750; mandatory sentence of not less than 10 days, completion of an impaired driver intervention program, minimum license revocation of 18 months, up to 2 years, possible required drug or alcohol treatment.

c.  Penalties for intoxication or under the influence offenses vary and are more stringent for subsequent convictions.

5.  Commit an overt act which allows drug use or underage drinking in a room to which a student is assigned or in a house or apartment which a student owns or occupies if five or more under age 21 people are present. (It is an affirmative defense to prosecution to take action to terminate the party once it is underway, to engage in conduct to prevent the party or to give timely notice of the party to law enforcement.) NH RSA 644:18. Violation is a misdemeanor; up to one year in jail and/or $2,000 fine.

Other Drugs 

Federal and state laws control the possession, use, and sale of drugs and include severe penalties for violations. Dartmouth College prohibits the illegal possession or transfer of any illicit drug so defined under state or federal law, and views the use, possession, or sale of any illicit drug as contradictory to the welfare of both the individual and the College community. The harmful effects of drug abuse on physical and mental health are well established, as are the costs of such actions both academically and legally.

It is critical that all members of the community understand and anticipate the College's response to individual cases of illegal use, possession, transfer, distribution, and trafficking in illicit drugs or the attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit any such offenses. Action taken by the College in all cases of drug violations will be guided by a concern both for the welfare of the person involved and for the maintenance of a suitable educational environment for all members of the College community.

The College is not a law enforcement agency and does not assess the penalties specified in state and federal laws. Adjudication of violations of the Student Drug Policy, however, may reflect current medical and legal standards related to different classes of illicit drugs. Additionally, the College will cooperate with local, state, and federal authorities. Security officers will confiscate observed drug paraphernalia or apparently illegal drugs. Confiscated drugs are turned over to law enforcement authorities, who may initiate an investigation. Drug offenses that involve immediate and substantial danger to the community will be reported to the appropriate authorities at once and may result in immediate temporary suspension.

A violation of federal, state, or local laws concerning drugs is a violation of College regulations and is subject to College disciplinary action up to and including separation.

To remain eligible for federal funding of various programs and grants, including student financial aid, Dartmouth complies with all federal laws and regulations.  Federal laws (including the Controlled Substances Act, The Drug Free Communities and Schools Act, and the Drug Free Workplace Act) make it illegal to possess, cultivate or sell marijuana.  Thus, Dartmouth prohibits the cultivation, possession, use, or distribution of marijuana, even for state certified medical purposes, at College sponsored events or activities (on or off-campus), on Dartmouth property, and in College affiliated housing. 

Students certified to use medical marijuana, with questions about housing, should contact Student Accessibility Services.

Students are accountable for their own decisions regarding the use of illicit drugs; they are also responsible for knowing and complying with applicable College regulations and state and federal laws related to illicit drugs.
 

Student Drug Policy

These regulations apply to all Dartmouth students. They also apply in connection with student programs, events, and activities officially recognized by, and under the jurisdiction of, the College and its recognized student organizations, both on- and off-campus. Violation of these regulations may subject an individual or organization to disciplinary action.

I. No student shall possess, use, transfer, distribute, manufacture or attempt to manufacture, or traffic in illicit drugs in violation of state or federal law or attempt, solicit or conspire to commit any such offenses. Synthetic or counterfeit substances that are an analogue for a controlled substance are prohibited under this policy.  The misuse, transfer, or sale of legal substances such as prescription drugs and inhalants is also prohibited. In addition, the College prohibits the possession or use of drug paraphernalia. Violation of this policy may subject an individual or recognized organization to disciplinary action.

II. Distribution, Transfer, and Trafficking. Whenever, in the opinion of the Dean of the College or their designee, there is sufficient and credible information or other evidence that a student is or has been distributing, transferring or trafficking in illicit drugs or attempting, soliciting or conspiring to commit any of these offenses with others, or is or has been in possession of such amounts as to make this a reasonable supposition, the student may be placed on immediate temporary suspension  by the Dean of the College or their designee until the Committee on Standards hears the case.

III. Students and student organizations shall abide by the Good Samaritan Policy.

Adjudication of Violations of the Student Drug Policy

Violation of the Student Drug Policy will subject students to sanctions ranging from reprimands with a referral to a drug education program to separation from the College depending upon the nature and circumstances of the case. Sanctions are not automatic.

In determining the appropriate sanction for violation of the policy, the Dean of the College, their designee and/or Committee on Standards will, at a minimum, consider the following circumstances:

  1. How the violation was committed;
  2. The amount and nature of the drug(s) involved;
  3. The level of knowledge and intent of the student(s);
  4. Delivery or attempted delivery of drugs; and
  5. Prior offenses of the student(s).

This list is not exhaustive and other circumstances may be considered in the determination of a sanction. There may also be legal consequences for criminal charges that may result from the use, possession or distribution of illegal drugs.

State and Federal Drug Laws

The following summary of some pertinent drug laws is not exhaustive and is subject to change. If students have questions concerning the scope and applications of the law, they should consult legal counsel.

Importantly, any person who is convicted of possession or trafficking of a controlled drug under a state or federal drug statute will be ineligible for Federal benefits for a proscribed period of time. This includes the Federal benefit of Federal Financial Aid. 21 U.S.C.A. § 862. For more detailed information on federal laws regarding drug offenses and penalties see 21 USC Part D or contact the Office of the General Counsel at (603) 646-2444.

All students are reminded that it is illegal under New Hampshire law to:

  1. Possess, manufacture, control, sell, purchase, administer, transport, dispense, possess with an intent to sell, package or repackage any controlled drug or controlled drug analog, Penalties for this offense vary according to the nature and the amount of the drug. See NH RSA 318-B:26 for a list of all penalties.
  2. Deliver, possess with intent to deliver, or manufacture with intent to deliver, drug paraphernalia, knowing that it is intended to be used to plant, grow, harvest, manufacture, produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, store, conceal, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the controlled substance into the human body. NH RSA 318-B:2. Violation is a misdemeanor, up to one year in jail, up to $2,000 fine.
  3. Drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of any controlled drug. NH RSA 265-A:2. Violation is a Class B misdemeanor, minimum fine of $750, completion of impaired driver intervention program, revocation of privilege to drive for minimum of 9 months, and possible drug or alcohol treatment.

 

Effective Date

July 1, 2015

Last Revised Date

September 27, 2021

Office of Primary Responsibility