Dillo Day brought a new scent to the Evanston Hospital emergencyroom Saturday, instead of the usual odor of antiseptic.

“It smelled like a bar,” said an employee, who requested thathis name not be used. “From the minute you walked into even some ofthe patient rooms, it smelled like happy hour.”

The employee said drunk students and their concerned — andoften loud — friends made Dillo Day busy for the staff at EvanstonHospital, 2650 Ridge Ave.

“When it’s Armadillo Day, we know that we’re going to get asteady stream,” the employee said.

Ambulances brought 10 Northwestern students to the hospitalSaturday, including eight between 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., saidDivision Chief Alan Berkowsky of Evanston fire department.

“It was pretty much non-stop at that point,” he said. “It seemedto be a little more activity than we had in previous years.”

Many students in the waiting room were talking loudly, as thoughthey were still at a party, the man said.

“They’re talking like they have a boombox next to their ears,”he said. But other than the volume and the pervasive scent ofalcohol, the students brought very little trouble to thehospital.

“With the students, there is some kind of restraint,” he said.”I’m not concerned about a Northwestern student coming in andraising hell.”

Carin Ganz, public relations specialist for EvanstonNorthwestern Healthcare, said she couldn’t release numbers on theamount of NU students in the hospital.

Alan Cubbage, vice president for university relations, said NUdoesn’t track how many students go to the hospital on Dillo Day butalways encourages students to behave responsibly.

The students who filled the hospitals didn’t crowd out otherEvanston residents who needed care, the employee said.

“It goes in order of priority,” he said. “An infant who’s havingtrouble breathing is going to get more priority than a 19-year-oldneeding detox.”