There are particular weekends in any given academic year when Brown Emergency Medical Services is busier than usual, according to Richard Lapierre, director of EMS. Alcohol- and drug-related calls to EMS are disproportionately higher over Spring Weekend and the weekend of the Queer Alliance's annual StarF*ck party, which occurred consecutively this year.
"People indulge in behavior during Spring Weekend that they normally wouldn't otherwise," Lapierre said. "You're coming in on the end of the semester, you've put in a tough year, written X number of papers, etc. - students feel this urge to cut loose and celebrate."
One result of all the celebration is more EMS calls.
Between Thursday and Sunday of Spring Weekend, there were 27 total calls to EMS, 13 of which were alcohol- or drug-related. On an average weekend this spring - March 3-6 - EMS received a total of 13 calls, 4 of which were alcohol- or drug-related.
From Thursday through Sunday on the weekend of Starf*ck, EMS received 16 calls, seven of which were alcohol- or drug-related.
Compared to past Spring Weekends, the number of calls and students treated last weekend was about "average," Lapierre said. Calls during the weekend of Starf*ck this year were slightly below average, he said, possibly because EMS members patrolled the event, a system instituted last year.
Five students were taken to the hospital during Spring Weekend 2005, and Providence Emergency Medical Services treated six others, Lapierre said University EMS supervisor Anthony Fusco told him. Fusco worked the Saturday night shift when the six students were treated.
Amy Sanderson, a University EMS supervisor, said Providence EMS only gets involved "if there's something dispatched that sounds very, very serious. For the most part, the campus is our jurisdiction."
Most calls to EMS involve first-years and sophomores, Lapierre said. He attributed the trend to "lack of experience with alcohol and substances" among underclassmen.
Of the 770 calls to EMS in 2003-2004, 523 involved undergraduates, 40 calls involved graduate students, 52 involved faculty and staff, 61 involved students enrolled in the University's summer program, five involved parents and alums, 15 involved other people affiliated with the University, 56 involved nonaffiliated guests and 18 calls involved subjects whose affiliation could not be determined. One-hundred sixty-eight calls were alcohol-related, two involved other illegal substances and 10 involved both.
