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November 3, 2006 > News > Central command refines NOD security

Central command refines NOD security

By Beko Binder | Thresher Editorial Staff

Rice’s emergency services set up a unified command post at Wiess College’s Night of Decadence for the first time Saturday, allowing the Rice University Police Department, Rice Emergency Medical Services, NOD security workers and Students Organized Against Rape workers to share dispatch information.

The central post — called the Incident Command System — was located in the Wiess off-campus lounge and received all emergency and security calls, allowing the proper service to dispatch the appropriate units almost immediately.

RUPD chief Bill Taylor said the central post made communication more efficient.

“[The ICS] allows you to move the resources you need,” Taylor said. “All information comes into this central location, and there’s nothing happening out there where you don’t know what’s going on.”

REMS Captain Cameron Decker said REMS used a similar system last year, but it was ineffective because it did not include RUPD or NOD security.

“Last year it was difficult for [the incident commander] in that he had to pay attention to and respond to multiple radio frequencies and different calls for assistance from different agencies,” Decker, a Martel College senior, said.

Decker said REMS responded to 16 NOD-related calls, the same number as last year.

Nine of the calls involved alcohol, and four calls resulted in ambulance transport to a hospital, Decker said.

Wiess Socials Vice President Michelle Kerner said 1,391 students attended the nautically-themed party — about the same number as last year — and about 1,500 students entered the Wiess Acabowl. Students are allowed to enter Wiess and visit private parties for free, but they had to pay to attend the public party.

Taylor said 10 officers were on duty at the party, but two of them were called away from the Acabowl to handle calls from residential areas.

“There’s a possibility we may adjust our number of officers next year up by two officers so we have people to work calls in the residential portion of the building and not pull people from the regular shift,” Taylor said.

RUPD officers arrested one non-Rice subject for public intoxication and referred three students to Student Judicial Programs for alcohol-related violations. Last year, RUPD made two arrests and seven referrals for similar violations. Taylor said RUPD also shut down one private party and closely monitored another.

“[We kept an eye] on a registered party because there were too many people there,” Taylor said. “RUPD had to hold them back until it settled down.”

Taylor said the low number of arrests was not unusual because NOD is well-handled.

“Over the course of these last eight years or so, the party has become one of the best organized and planned functions on the entire campus,” Taylor said. “It really does go well and has consistently for a number of years. Every once in a while you have something off the wall that happens, but the whole party isn’t that way.”

Eighteen emergency medical technicians — divided into nine teams — were on duty at NOD, and two privately owned ambulances were hired for the night.

Decker said enough EMTs were on duty to respond to all of the calls.

“Last year we got to the point where we maxed out our resources,” Decker said. “If we had had one additional call, we would have had to break up our teams. This year, we almost had to use all of our teams at once, but I believe one or two of our teams were still available.”

Decker said EMS expected a higher number of calls than were made this year because there has been an unusually high volume of EMS calls for the past two months.

Kerner, a Wiess college junior, said about 100 students helped with security this year.

“I thought we had a good number of security,” Kerner said. “It worked out really well because if there was a problem someplace, however minor it was, you could ask someone to move from one place to another without having too few security somewhere.”

Kerner said she thought NOD went well.

“Everyone was enjoying the public party,” Kerner said. “A lot of people had very interesting costumes — it seemed like people were really creative this year. Everything went smoothly, [and] people seemed to be cooperative with everything.”

Decker, Kerner and Taylor said they do not think major changes will be needed for next year’s NOD.

“NOD is one of the best organized and staffed events on campus,” Taylor said. “We tweak these things as we go along.”

Brown College sophomore John Steinbauer said he thought the theme this year was less original than last year’s.

“This [theme was] more typical,” Steinbauer said. “Last year, you could do more fun stuff with costumes.”

Steinbauer also said he thinks NOD should be free.

“[Other colleges] have free parties,” Steinbauer said. “I don’t think it’s right for them to make a profit when other colleges are losing money.”

Wiess College freshman Zachary Wilson said he thought the party was over too fast.

“I just thought it was pretty crazy how people didn’t care what they were wearing, but the party didn’t actually start until midnight,” Wilson said. “People didn’t come until late.”

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