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Slope Day

October 27, 2023

Slope Day is an annual day of celebration held at Cornell University historically during the last day of regular undergraduate classes, but has moved to the following day as of 2014.[1] The Slope Day Programming Board (SDPB) is responsible for organizing the event, selecting artists, and managing the Slope Day's execution.[2] 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.

History of Slope Day edit

 
Slope Day, then known as Spring Day, in 1904

Slope Day's origins can be traced to 1890, when the annual Navy Ball began on the Cornell University 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, Willard Straight, and Henry Schoellkopf 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.[3][4] However, during the 1960s and 1970s, official Spring Day celebrations were considered an anachronism, as Cornell was in the midst of Vietnam-era protests and civil unrest.

 
Sunshine Memorial Festival, May 16, 1971

A brief revival occurred in the spring of 1971. The Sunshine Memorial Festival was organized by a Cornell student group, Ithaca Rapid Transit. It was sponsored by Maxwell’s Coffee House, a student-run coffee house (founded by Daniel Vlock ’74 in 1971 in the freshman dormitory Mary Donlon Hall) and Noyes Center. Maxwell’s was the first coffee house in North Campus and was named after a dog housed in the dormitory and not the Beatles song.

For the concert a plywood stage was constructed at the base of Libe Slope. The speaker system was provided by Cornell Engineering School students and was powered by extension cords plugged into outlets in student dormitory rooms. Several local bands played for free. The best known was Boffalongo. Boffalongo subsequently became King Harvest and were known for their hit song “Dancing in the Moonlight”. An estimated 5,000 people attended. Music and dancing took place until midnight when the Cornell Safety Patrol turned off the electricity. Two additional Sunshine Memorial Festival events were planned for the Spring and Fall of 1972. However, as is typical for Ithaca weather, they were rained out.

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 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 1991. For many students the focus of Slope Day became the consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.[citation needed]

 
Libe Slope

Starting in the mid-1990s, 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 alcohol-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, leading to increased University prohibitions against drinking at the event.

Recent[when?] 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 has been handed out to all attendees since 2006, and several volunteers on the slope have supervised students.

Current Slope Day Activities edit

 
Libe Slope fills the lower portion of this photograph taken from McGraw Tower.

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.

 
Snoop Dogg performing during Slope Day '05.
 
OAR performed at Slope Day in 2004.

Music edit

Live musical performances are typically held during Slope Day. Past live performances included:

SlopeFest edit

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.

References edit

  1. ^ Cutler, Sarah (October 25, 2013). . The Cornell Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Slope Day 2019 – May 8th, 2019".
  3. ^ "The Navy Ball," Cornell Alumni News, May 1, 1901.
  4. ^ "Festive Atmosphere Prevails Through Spring Day History," The Cornell Daily Sun, May 14, 1954.
  5. ^ "Oops! — the Cornell Daily Sun".
  6. ^ "Oops! — the Cornell Daily Sun".
  7. ^ "Announcer Helps Get Glenn Miller for Spring Day". Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  8. ^ "Oops! — the Cornell Daily Sun".
  9. ^ "Oops! — the Cornell Daily Sun".
  10. ^ "Spring Weekend Plans Highlight Spivak, Henderson Dance Bands". Ithaca, New York: Cornell Daily Sun. 7 April 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Oops! — the Cornell Daily Sun".
  12. ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  13. ^ Aloi, Daniel (9 February 2010). "Fans recall Grateful Dead Barton Hall performance". Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  14. ^ "Internet Archive Search: collection:GratefulDead". Internet Archive. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  15. ^ "Oops! — the Cornell Daily Sun".
  16. ^ "SpringFest '86" (Advertisement). Cornell Daily Sun Digital Archive. Ithaca, New York: The Cornell Daily Sun. 2 May 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 14 May 2017. SpringFest '86 condert May 9 3:00 to 7:00 PM featuring The Del Fuegos plus Special Guest
  17. ^ Schmalz, Jeffrey (19 June 1985). "NEW YORK RAISING ITS DRINKING AGE TO 21 IN DECEMBER". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Cornell Moves Springfest To North Campus Field". Cornell Daily Sun. 14 April 1986. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Pussycat Dolls Booked for Slope Day". Cornell Daily Sun. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  20. ^ Lui, Ann (27 March 2009). . Cornell Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  21. ^ "Slope Day History". Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  22. ^ "Drake to Perform at Slope Day". Cornell Daily Sun. February 8, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  23. ^ . Cornell Daily Sun. March 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 12, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  24. ^ "Chance the Rapper, MAGIC! to Perform at Slope Day". Cornell Daily Sun. April 9, 2015. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  25. ^ "Walk the Moon, Cash Cash to Headline Slope Day". Cornell Daily Sun. February 5, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  26. ^ "Galantis To Headline Slope Day | The Cornell Daily Sun". cornellsun.com. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  27. ^ Buonanno, Peter (2019-02-28). "Steve Aoki to Headline Slope Day". The Cornell Daily Sun. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  28. ^ "Students React to Artist Lineup for First In-Person Slope Day in Two Years | The Cornell Daily Sun". cornellsun.com. 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-05-12.

External links edit

  • Official Slope Day Webpage
  • A History of Slope Day from the Cornell Alumni Magazine
  • A time-lapse movie of the 2001 Slope Day
  • inflatable games

October 27, 2023
slope, annual, celebration, held, cornell, university, historically, during, last, regular, undergraduate, classes, moved, following, 2014, programming, board, sdpb, responsible, organizing, event, selecting, artists, managing, execution, though, gone, through. Slope Day is an annual day of celebration held at Cornell University historically during the last day of regular undergraduate classes but has moved to the following day as of 2014 1 The Slope Day Programming Board SDPB is responsible for organizing the event selecting artists and managing the Slope Day s execution 2 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 Contents 1 History of Slope Day 2 Current Slope Day Activities 2 1 Music 2 2 SlopeFest 3 References 4 External linksHistory of Slope Day edit nbsp Slope Day then known as Spring Day in 1904Slope Day s origins can be traced to 1890 when the annual Navy Ball began on the Cornell University 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 Willard Straight and Henry Schoellkopf 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 3 4 However during the 1960s and 1970s official Spring Day celebrations were considered an anachronism as Cornell was in the midst of Vietnam era protests and civil unrest nbsp Sunshine Memorial Festival May 16 1971A brief revival occurred in the spring of 1971 The Sunshine Memorial Festival was organized by a Cornell student group Ithaca Rapid Transit It was sponsored by Maxwell s Coffee House a student run coffee house founded by Daniel Vlock 74 in 1971 in the freshman dormitory Mary Donlon Hall and Noyes Center Maxwell s was the first coffee house in North Campus and was named after a dog housed in the dormitory and not the Beatles song For the concert a plywood stage was constructed at the base of Libe Slope The speaker system was provided by Cornell Engineering School students and was powered by extension cords plugged into outlets in student dormitory rooms Several local bands played for free The best known was Boffalongo Boffalongo subsequently became King Harvest and were known for their hit song Dancing in the Moonlight An estimated 5 000 people attended Music and dancing took place until midnight when the Cornell Safety Patrol turned off the electricity Two additional Sunshine Memorial Festival events were planned for the Spring and Fall of 1972 However as is typical for Ithaca weather they were rained out 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 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 1991 For many students the focus of Slope Day became the consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol citation needed nbsp Libe SlopeStarting in the mid 1990s 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 alcohol 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 leading to increased University prohibitions against drinking at the event Recent when 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 has been handed out to all attendees since 2006 and several volunteers on the slope have supervised students Current Slope Day Activities edit nbsp Libe Slope fills the lower portion of this photograph taken from McGraw Tower 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 nbsp Snoop Dogg performing during Slope Day 05 nbsp OAR performed at Slope Day in 2004 Music edit Live musical performances are typically held during Slope Day Past live performances included May 1920 Sherbo s Orchestra 5 May 2 1924 Dave Harman and his Orchestra 6 May 1928 R Matthew Freeman and The Oarsmen 1934 Kevin McHale s Shrimpers May 1940 Glenn Miller 7 1947 Duke Ellington 8 May 16 1953 Charlie Spivak Skitch Henderson 9 10 May 15 1954 Johnny Long Jerry Gray 11 Friday May 6 1977 Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen 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 This concert was separate from the Slope Day 12 It is notable for being one of the most famous and enduring recorded Grateful Dead concerts 13 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 14 May 1981 The B Willie Smith Band 15 May 1984 The Ramones Harold Melvin amp the Blue Notes Held in Barton Hall due to inclement weather May 1985 Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes May 9 1986 The Del Fuegos 16 Because New York had raised the drinking age from 18 to 21 in December 1985 17 the event was moved to a fenced off area on Helen Newman Mary Donlon fields to try to control underage alcohol consumption 18 May 1987 Robert Cray s performance was moved back to the traditional Libe Slope location May 5 2000 Pilfers nbsp Rapper Dreezy after her Slope Day 2018 performance nbsp COIN performing at Slope Fest in 2023 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 Catch 22 May 2 2008 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Gym Class Heroes Hot Hot Heat May 1 2009 Pussycat Dolls 19 Asher Roth 20 and The Apples in Stereo 21 May 7 2010 Drake 22 Francis amp The Lights and k os 2 May 6 2011 Nelly Ra Ra Riot The Cool Kids May 4 2012 Taio Cruz Neon Trees The Wailers May 3 2013 Kendrick Lamar Hoodie Allen 5 amp A Dime May 8 2014 Ludacris Matt and Kim 23 3LAU May 7 2015 Chance the Rapper Magic 24 May 12 2016 Walk the Moon Cash Cash R City 25 May 11 2017 Big Gigantic MisterWives Brasstracks S natra May 10 2018 Galantis Young Bombs Dreezy 26 May 8 2019 Steve Aoki Cousin Stizz EZI 27 May 14 amp 15 2021 Virtual due to COVID 19 KYLE A Boogie wit da Hoodie Swae Lee Rico Nasty Matoma May 11 2022 Amine rapper Loud Luxury Luna Li 28 May 10 2023 COIN Snakehips Coco amp Clair ClairSlopeFest edit 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 References edit Cutler Sarah October 25 2013 Slope Day 2014 to Be Held Day After Classes End The Cornell Daily Sun Archived from the original on 12 March 2014 Retrieved 12 March 2014 a b Slope Day 2019 May 8th 2019 The Navy Ball Cornell Alumni News May 1 1901 Festive Atmosphere Prevails Through Spring Day History The Cornell Daily Sun May 14 1954 Oops the Cornell Daily Sun Oops the Cornell Daily Sun Announcer Helps Get Glenn Miller for Spring Day Retrieved 2010 05 01 Oops the Cornell Daily Sun Oops the Cornell Daily Sun Spring Weekend Plans Highlight Spivak Henderson Dance Bands Ithaca New York Cornell Daily Sun 7 April 1953 p 1 Retrieved 17 May 2022 Oops the Cornell Daily Sun This Week in History Archived from the original on 2008 12 02 Retrieved 2009 05 13 Aloi Daniel 9 February 2010 Fans recall Grateful Dead Barton Hall performance Cornell Chronicle Cornell University Retrieved 11 August 2010 Internet Archive Search collection GratefulDead Internet Archive Retrieved 11 August 2010 Oops the Cornell Daily Sun SpringFest 86 Advertisement Cornell Daily Sun Digital Archive Ithaca New York The Cornell Daily Sun 2 May 1986 p 11 Retrieved 14 May 2017 SpringFest 86 condert May 9 3 00 to 7 00 PM featuring The Del Fuegos plus Special Guest Schmalz Jeffrey 19 June 1985 NEW YORK RAISING ITS DRINKING AGE TO 21 IN DECEMBER The New York Times Retrieved 30 September 2017 Cornell Moves Springfest To North Campus Field Cornell Daily Sun 14 April 1986 Retrieved 30 September 2017 Pussycat Dolls Booked for Slope Day Cornell Daily Sun 26 March 2009 Retrieved 27 March 2009 Lui Ann 27 March 2009 Loving College Hip Hop Artist Asher Roth Relives Past as Slope Day Opener Cornell Daily Sun Archived from the original on 23 February 2012 Retrieved 27 March 2009 Slope Day History Retrieved 2009 05 13 Drake to Perform at Slope Day Cornell Daily Sun February 8 2010 Retrieved April 10 2015 Ludacris Matt and Kim Set to Perform on Slope Day Cornell Daily Sun March 21 2014 Archived from the original on December 12 2014 Retrieved April 10 2015 Chance the Rapper MAGIC to Perform at Slope Day Cornell Daily Sun April 9 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty url help Walk the Moon Cash Cash to Headline Slope Day Cornell Daily Sun February 5 2016 Retrieved May 15 2016 Galantis To Headline Slope Day The Cornell Daily Sun cornellsun com 2018 02 15 Retrieved 2018 02 26 Buonanno Peter 2019 02 28 Steve Aoki to Headline Slope Day The Cornell Daily Sun Retrieved 2019 05 09 Students React to Artist Lineup for First In Person Slope Day in Two Years The Cornell Daily Sun cornellsun com 2022 04 25 Retrieved 2022 05 12 External links editOfficial Slope Day Webpage A History of Slope Day from the Cornell Alumni Magazine A time lapse movie of the 2001 Slope Day A History of Slope Day from the Cornell Daily Sun inflatable games Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Slope Day amp oldid 1165986692, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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