Drinking Mars Quad Formal

BOSTON--Three undergraduate women left the Quad Formal Friday in ambulances due to excessive intoxication.

Staff of the Hyatt Harborside Hotel in Boston, where the formal was held, and event organizers said the hotel took the necessary precautions to avoid such a situation.

"Because of the lack of control, with regard to not being able to control, with regard to not being able to control what happens before the party,...we would definitely have to consider seriously the situation before deciding whether to host the event again," said David Martin, the Hyatt's general manager.

The hotel provided its own security guards and engaged Mass. state police to check guests' IDs. Students were required to present two forms of identification before gaining official permission to drink alcohol.

Karen Kim '99, one of the event's coordinators, said she felt the hotel took sufficient precautions.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted that some students would need medical attention. Certainly from the alcohol policy and the security presence at the formal, it is hard to find fault with the hotel or the policing system used."

Kim also suggested that students may have consumed alcohol prior to the formal.

The women were not in critical condition when they left the dance and returned safely to campus the next morning, Kim said.