Slope Day
Encyclopedia
Slope Day is an annual day of celebration held at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

 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.

History of Slope Day

Slope Day's origins can be traced to 1890, when the annual Navy Ball began on the Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

 campus. The Navy Ball, held in October on the day before a major regatta on Cayuga Lake, was an evening dance with a band for the purpose of raising funds to support the Cornell crew and other athletic programs. Students traditionally skipped classes on the day of the regatta following the ball. In 1901, the Navy Ball was moved from October to May for the first time, and a committee including John L. Senior
John L. Senior
John Lawson Senior was a sports administrator and the founder of Slope Day at Cornell University.Senior graduated from Cornell University in 1901 and was a member of the Sphinx Head Society. Senior organized the first "Spring Day," the predecessor to the modern Slope Day, in March 1901 to meet an...

, Willard Straight
Willard Straight
Willard Dickerman Straight was an American investment banker, publisher, reporter and diplomat.-Biography:...

, and Henry Schoellkopf
Henry Schoellkopf
Henry Schoellkopf was an American football player and coach. He was selected as an All-American fullback while attending Harvard Law School in 1903...

 arranged the event and entertainment. Attendance in classes on the following day was dismal, and in 1902, the university declared the following day a holiday called Spring Day. The annual Spring Day festivities involved a wide range of activities, from mock bullfights to circuses, typically on the Arts Quad. Spring Day remained a Cornell tradition for over 50 years. However, during the 1960s and 1970s, official Spring Day celebrations were considered an anachronism, as Cornell was in the midst of Vietnam-era protests
Protests against the Vietnam War
Protests against the Vietnam War took place in the 1960s and 1970s. The protests were part of a movement in opposition to the Vietnam War and took place mainly in the United States-Protests:...

 and civil unrest.

This supposed 'era of turmoil' did not stop WVBR from hosting a live concert featuring a multi-hour lineup of local bands which coincided with the Spring Housing and Dining chicken barbecue on the slope in Spring 1971. About 2000 fun-loving people were in the picnic audience and it was broadcast live.

In 1979, an event then called "Springfest" was held on the last day of classes. Cornell Dining sponsored a chicken barbecue 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
Robert Cray
Robert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...

 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 beer kegs in 1990. For many students the focus of Slope Day became the 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 Libe Slope, brought live entertainment, and provided catered food and drink service. This time, the University's assertion of control succeeded.

The students did not 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.

Current Slope Day Activities

In the fall of 2003 the Slope Day Programming Board was created by the Cornell University Student Assembly (SA), under the leadership of SA president Justin Fishbone, 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. 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.

Music

Live musical performances are typically held during Slope Day.
Past live performances included:
  • May 1920: Sherbo's Orchestra
  • May 2, 1924: Dave Harman and his Orchestra
  • May 1928: R. Matthew Freeman and The Oarsmen
  • 1934: Kevin McHale's Shrimpers
  • May 1940: Glenn Miller
    Glenn Miller
    Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...

  • 1947: Duke Ellington
    Duke Ellington
    Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...

  • May 16, 1953: Charlie Spivak
    Charlie Spivak
    Charlie Spivak was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s.-Biography:...

    , Skitch Henderson
    Skitch Henderson
    Lyle Russell Cedric “Skitch” Henderson was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.- Biography :...

  • May 15, 1954: Johnny Long
    Johnny Long (musician)
    Johnny Long was an American violinist and bandleader, known as "The Man Who's Long on Music". He was raised on a farm in Newell, North Carolina, currently a subdivision of Charlotte. He started practicing with the violin at the age of six, but injured two fingers on his left hand when he was...

    , Jerry Gray
    Jerry Gray (Arranger)
    Jerry Gray was an American violinist, arranger, composer, and leader of swing dance orchestras bearing his name. He is widely known for his work with popular music during the Swing era. His name is inextricably linked to two of the most famous bandleaders of the time, Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller...

  • Friday, May 6, 1977: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
    Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
    Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen is an American country rock band founded in 1967. Core members included founder George Frayne, John Tichy, Billy C. Farlow, Bill Kirchen, Andy Stein, Paul "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow, Lance Dickerson, and Bobby Black....

     (Held on Libe Slope) this was the start of the new Slope Day or Springfest
  • Sunday, May 8, 1977: The Grateful Dead (in Barton Hall
    Barton Hall
    Barton Hall is an on-campus field house on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It is the site of the school's indoor track facilities, ROTC offices and classes, and Cornell Police. It's also the location of the band room, used by the Cornell Big Red Marching Band and the Cornell...

    ) This concert was separate from the Slope Day. It is notable for being one of the most famous and enduring recorded Grateful Dead concerts. Like all recorded performances of the Grateful Dead, it is free to download and distribute, and it is the second-most-downloaded Grateful Dead concert on the Internet Archive
    Internet Archive
    The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...

    .
  • May 1981: The B Willie Smith Band
  • May 1984: The Ramones, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
    Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
    Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American singing group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. The group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco...

      (Held in Barton Hall
    Barton Hall
    Barton Hall is an on-campus field house on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It is the site of the school's indoor track facilities, ROTC offices and classes, and Cornell Police. It's also the location of the band room, used by the Cornell Big Red Marching Band and the Cornell...

     due to inclement weather)
  • May 1986: S. Gambino and the Droopy Dogs
  • May 1987 Robert Cray
    Robert Cray
    Robert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...

  • May 5, 2000: Pilfers
    Pilfers
    Pilfers are an American ska band formed in 1997, when former Toasters vocalist, Coolie Ranx, at the urging of Pietaster's vocalist Steve Jackson, joined with former Bim Skala Bim trombonist, Vinny Nobile...

  • May 4, 2001: Stroke 9
    Stroke 9
    Stroke 9 is an alternative rock band that was formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989.- History :The band formed due to a "Rock Band" class at Marin Academy in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco. In 1990, as a project, students Luke Esterkyn, Greg Gueldner, Tom Haddad and Kirsten...

  • May 3, 2002: Nada Surf
    Nada Surf
    Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...

  • May 2, 2003: Rusted Root
    Rusted Root
    Rusted Root is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known for their unique fusion of acoustic, rock, world and other styles of music, with a strong percussion section that draws from African, Latin American, Native American, and Indian influences...

    , Fat Joe
    Fat Joe
    Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....

  • May 7, 2004: Kanye West
    Kanye West
    Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

    , O.A.R.
    Of a Revolution
    O.A.R. is an American rock band composed of Marc Roberge , Chris Culos , Richard On , Benj Gershman , and Jerry DePizzo...

    , Dilated Peoples
    Dilated Peoples
    Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group achieved notability in the underground hip hop community, although they have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way," a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West and Xzibit...

    , Matt Nathanson
    Matt Nathanson
    Matt Nathanson is an American singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic and electric guitar, and has played both solo and with a full band. His work includes the platinum-selling song "Come On Get Higher".-Early life and college...

     (did not play)
  • May 6, 2005: Snoop Dogg
    Snoop Dogg
    Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...

    , The Game
    The Game (rapper)
    Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...

    , The Starting Line
    The Starting Line
    The Starting Line is an American pop punk band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 1999.- Formation and history :In 1999, the band that would become The Starting Line was initiated in Churchville, Pennsylvania via an e-mail from guitarist Matt Watts to vocalist/bassist Kenny Vasoli...

  • May 5, 2006: Ben Folds
    Ben Folds
    Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...

    , Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...

    , Acceptance
    Acceptance (band)
    Acceptance was an alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1998. They released their first EP, Lost for Words, in 2000, followed by Black Lines to Battlefields in 2003...

  • May 4, 2007: T.I.
    T.I.
    Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....

    , TV on the Radio
    TV on the Radio
    TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....

    , Catch 22
    Catch 22 (band)
    Catch 22 is an American ska punk band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey.The band was formed by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky and drummer Chris Greer who recruited trumpeter Kevin Gunther, who was working in a local record store...

  • May 2, 2008: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
    Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
    Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and currently recording for Matador Records. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally...

    , Gym Class Heroes
    Gym Class Heroes
    Gym Class Heroes is an American hip hop rock band from Geneva, New York. They have collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on numerous occasions, notably for providing backing vocals on the song "Cupid's Chokehold." Stump also produced the majority of their album The Quilt.The group formed...

    , Hot Hot Heat
    Hot Hot Heat
    Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1999 from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.-Career:Dustin Hawthorne and Steve Bays had been in many different bands together since 1995 and met Hawley in 1998. In 1999, Hawley bought a Juno 6 keyboard and asked Bays to try playing it, as no one...

  • May 1, 2009: Pussycat Dolls
    Pussycat Dolls
    The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...

    , Asher Roth
    Asher Roth
    Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper.-Early life:Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth , is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm...

    , and The Apples in Stereo
    The Apples in Stereo
    The Apples in Stereo, styled The Apples in stereo, is an American indie rock band associated with The Elephant Six Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Schneider, who writes the...

  • May 7. 2010: Drake
    Drake (entertainer)
    Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....

    , Francis & The Lights, and k-os
    K-os
    Kevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...

  • May 6, 2011: Nelly
    Nelly
    Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...

    , Ra Ra Riot
    Ra Ra Riot
    Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band from Syracuse, New York, consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, cellist Alexandra Lawn , violinist Rebecca Zeller, and drummer Kenny Bernard.-History:...

    , The Cool Kids
    The Cool Kids
    The Cool Kids is an American hip hop group. Consisting of rappers Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll , the group is based in Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan...


SlopeFest

SlopeFest is a carnival type event accompanying Slope Day. In the past, this event has included various raffles, an airbrush tattoo artist and inflatable games. Started in 1999 by concerned students of the Slope Day Programming Board, 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, composed of students, plans all aspects of SlopeFest.

SOS

The S.O.S (Save our Slope) subcommittee of the Slope Day Programming Board recruits and trains Cornell student, faculty, and staff volunteers to ensure that students are safe on the slope by guarding and maintaining the fences and entries, passing out free water bottles and notifying Police/EMS services if a student is suspected of having an emergency. Formerly known as Students Offering Support, since the inclusion of faculty and staff volunteers, it has been re-named "Save our Slope." These volunteers usually wear brightly colored shirts and other identifiable apparel to be easily recognizable to students attending the event. Over 800 volunteers are trained every year.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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