Organizing Slope Day 101

Written by: Liz Rapoport, 2008 Slope Day Chair

Hold your cursor over the bolded terms for a brief description.

Slope Day has had many faces since its first celebration in 1901 as Spring Day. Starting in 2001, the rapid evolution of this university-planned, staffed and financed event has led to better organization with considerable student input and a much larger budget for performances. However, these changes didn’t happen overnight.

Over the course of a year, a lot of planning occurs before most students even begin pining for the Slope Day festivities. This is a quick look at how the Slope Day Programming Board (SPDB) pulls it off.

Planning for the coming year’s Slope Day begins with electing a new executive board (e-board) a month before the current year’s Slope Day has even occurred. This allows the new e-board to follow and learn their roles from their predecessors. Only days after the stage has been put away, the
Slope Day Logistics Committee is called to discuss the event; what went wrong, what went right. This is the best time to make note of problems which need to be discussed for the next year’s event.

Come September, the SDPB General Body begins meeting monthly to form committees. These groups help plan everything from SlopeFest (the carnival on Ho Plaza), to the new Slope Day t-shirt, to how the volunteers are going to manage the 15,000 people who come through the gates. The General Body is also responsible for giving the e-board a feel for the Cornell community’s musical tastes.

During the fall semester, the e-board reflects on the problems which arose during the last year’s Slope Day. Meanwhile, the
Slope Day Steering Committee meets three times to brainstorm ideas of how to get more students on the Slope and how to manage the safety of the crowd. The Chair of the SDPB co-chairs this committee with the Dean of Students. Every two years, the Fall Semester is also spent preparing for the budget hearings for by-line funded groups. The Administrative Director and Chair must make presentations to the SA and GPSA about the finances of the prior two years and how they plan on using the money in the future. This is when any requested increases in funding are approved or denied.

Though artists/bands are being brainstormed during the Fall semester, the end of Winter Break is when the Selections Director starts looking into Spring tours and artist availability/pricing. Combining input from the student body at large and the General Body, as well as new information (such as loss of availability or unfeasible pricing), the e-board narrows and prioritizes the list until an artist is booked to rock the Slope! This is done until there is a suitable lineup for the event (~ 3 acts).

During the Spring Semester, the SOS (volunteer) Chair and the SlopeFest Chair kick their committees into full gear. The SOS Committee works with the Associate Dean of Students to promote to faculty/staff/students the rewarding aspects of volunteering to assist at the gates and events on the Slope. The SlopeFest Committee brainstorms new fun games and activities for Ho Plaza.

The Slope Day Logistics Committee is also working during the Spring Semester on all the behind the scenes action. Chaired by the Vice Chair of the SDPB and the Associate Dean of Students, they arrange for tents, port-a-johns, EMS, etc. All of the Steering Committee’s suggestions are analyzed from a logistical point of view. Many previous ideas (including the fence) have already been implemented and have proven successful.

The last few months are full of Promotions, guest ticket and t-shirt sales, excitement for the artists, gathering of prizes for SlopeFest and SOS volunteers, and all the last minute preparations for the big day. Also during this time, the Greek Liaison regularly meets with the TriCouncil to discuss the Slope Day policies in the Greek Houses for that year.

The week leading up to the event is filled with excitement as Libe Slope slowly transforms into a festival venue. The day before Slope Day a stage crew sets up the stage, speakers and lights while the last pieces of fence are put up on the Slope. As the sun goes down , the majority of the Board plans to be awake at 6am for breakfast and morning preparations. After breakfast, the artists’ dressing rooms are set up and finishing touches are put on the stage until the performers arrive for line check. Students get to the Slope at noon and the rest... well if you are new you will just have to come to find out!