Slope Day
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Slope Day is an annual day of celebration held at Cornell University during the last day of regular undergraduate classes. It usually falls on the first Friday of May and the official site of Slope Day is the Libe Slope, on the university campus. Though Slope Day has gone through many phases, in recent years focus has shifted to live music and catered food and beverages on the Slope. Slope Day is notorious for the heavy drinking many students participate in before, during, and after scheduled events.
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[edit] History of Slope Day
Slope Day began as "Spring Day", first celebrated in 1901 on the Cornell University campus. Spring Days usually involved a wide host of annually-changing activities, from mock bullfights to circuses, which were held indoors, outside on Cornell's open spaces (including Libe Slope), and off-campus. Spring Day was a Cornell tradition for over 50 years. During the 60s and 70s official Spring Day celebrations did not take place, as Cornell was in the midst of Vietnam-era protests and civil unrest.
In 1979, an event then called "Springfest" was held on the last day of classes. Cornell Dining sponsored a chicken barbeque on Libe Slope and served beer to the students. At the time, New York State's drinking age was 18, making it easy for the university to sponsor both food and alcohol service for the event. For the next six years, Springfest involved live bands playing at the base of Libe Slope, with students dancing and drinking on the Slope itself. In December 1985, New York state raised the drinking age to 21, so University officials announced that the 1986 Springfest would be held in a fenced-in area on North Campus instead of the Slope. The student body responded with a massive "Take Back the Slope" campaign. All across campus, T-shirts, signs and chalk on sidewalks beckoned students to boycott the official Springfest and "Take Back the Slope." They did by the thousands, and the name "Slope Day" replaced "Springfest." In 1987, the University caved to pressure and had Robert Cray play on the Slope, but by 1988 the bands were gone once again and Slope Day became an unofficial event. For the next decade or so, the University tolerated Slope Day, and took little action to control it except for the banning of kegs in 1990. For many students the focus of Slope Day became the joyful consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.
Starting in the mid 90s, the University began a more gradual reining in of Slope Day, instead of repeating the failed strategy of regaining control all at once. SlopeFest, an alcoholic-free event featuring carnival-style entertainment started to take place on West Campus in 1999. In 2001, the amount and type of alcohol students could bring onto the slope was limited. Starting in 2003, the Slope Day Steering Committee (initially organized as the President's Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs by president-emeritus Hunter S. Rawlings III) took charge of Slope Day, restricted access to the Slope, brought live entertainment, and provided catered food and drink service. This time, the University's assertion of control succeeded. The students didn't revolt, as their predecessors had done in the late 1980s. Thus, a new era of the Slope Day celebration began.
Recent Slope Day measures have tried to limit excess underage drinking. Bracelets with tabs that are used as tickets to purchase alcohol are only offered to those who are of age, and only one drink is sold per purchase. Free water was handed out to all attendees in 2006, and several volunteers on the slope supervised students. However, a large number of students were still reported to the health center.
[edit] Current Slope Day Activities
In the fall of 2003 the Slope Day Programming Board was created by the Cornell University Student Assembly (SA) to lead the planning of social and recreational activities on Slope Day. The Slope Day Programming Board (SDPB) has an open membership policy for all undergraduate and graduate students at Cornell, and it works closely with university administrators and the Slope Day Steering Committee. The SDPB aims to create a fun and safe celebration for the entire Cornell community. The SDPB plans activities both for drinking students and those who choose to stay sober. Recently, access to these activities on Libe Slope and Ho Plaza and at nearby campus locations has been restricted to Cornell students, faculty, and staff, as well as selected guests.
[edit] Music
Live musical performances are typically held during Slope Day. Past live performances included:
- May 1984: The Ramones, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (Held in Barton Hall due to inclement weather)
- May 1987 Robert Cray
- May 5, 2000: Pilfers
- May 4, 2001: Stroke 9
- May 3, 2002: Nada Surf
- May 2, 2003: Rusted Root, Fat Joe
- May 7, 2004: Kanye West, O.A.R., Dilated Peoples, Matt Nathanson (did not play)
- May 6, 2005: Snoop Dogg, The Game, The Starting Line
- May 5, 2006: Ben Folds, Talib Kweli, Acceptance
- May 4, 2007: T.I., TV on the Radio
[edit] SlopeFest
SlopeFest is an "alcohol-free" carnival type event accompanying Slope Day. Started in 1999 by concerned students, SlopeFest was held on West Campus and hosted carnival-style games, food, and live musical performances. Starting in 2004, SlopeFest was incorporated into the main events of Slope Day and held inside the event perimeter. SlopeFest is now held on Ho Plaza. The Slope Day Programming Board plans all aspects of SlopeFest.
[edit] External links
- Official Slope Day Webpage
- A History of Slope Day from the Cornell Alumni Magazine
- A time-lapse movie of the 2001 Slope Day
