CU launches new Welcome Weekend: alcohol-free activities in August

By Lissa Harris

Cornell is launching a new initiative promoting alcohol-free alternatives to the Collegetown partying that traditionally accompanies freshmen Orientation Week.

The Office of the Dean of Students announced the new program of student-planned, late-night events and other social gatherings, to be called Welcome Weekend and to follow a shortened freshman Orientation, at a public meeting at Willard Straight Hall, April 23. The alcohol-free events will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 27, and run through Sunday, Aug. 31.

Susan Blumenthal, left, 3rd Ward Ithaca Common Council member, speaks with Brandon Otto '04, right, chair of the Welcome Weekend program and co-chair of the Orientation Steering Committee, and Dena Ruebusch '04, outreach coordinator for both events, before the Welcome Weekend announcement in Willard Straight Hall, April 23. Robert Barker/University Photography

The initiative was planned in response to an increase in police arrests of Cornell students for public drunkenness, and associated problems, during last year's Orientation period. Last September, in response to a rash of alcohol-related violence and disturbances in Collegetown, Ithaca Mayor Alan Cohen took the unusual step of sending an e-mail to the entire Cornell community.

"I will be frank with you," he wrote, "the activity of the past few weeks has stretched our resources. Our people are exhausted from working an inordinate amount of overtime, which diminishes their ability to provide quality services. We are concerned for their safety and that of those who attend the many parties we have seen. Something has to change."

Change is just what the Welcome Weekend committee is seeking, with programming that they hope will attract a wide variety of students. "Our culture needs to change on this campus," said Lisa K'Bedford, assistant dean of students and adviser to the student-run committee that planned the new initiative.

She emphasized that Welcome Weekend is not part of freshman Orientation, but will follow a shortened Orientation, which this year will run from Friday, Aug. 22, to Wednesday, Aug. 27. As in the past, Orientation will not be open to the entire Cornell community, with the exception of the traditional "Cornell Night" on Aug. 27, which this year will be open to the entire campus and will be the official kickoff of Welcome Weekend.

Although Cornell historically has hosted alcohol-free Orientation events, they have been relatively small in scale and restricted to incoming freshmen. The organizers of Welcome Weekend envision a series of more-inclusive, much larger, late-night events to follow Orientation, drawing up to 5,000 people and open to the entire campus. These activities will include a Casino Night, with gaming tables staffed by fraternity and sorority members, and an "Iron Chef" cooking competition. There will be a "Cornell on the Commons" event to attract students to the Ithaca Commons, as well as a day of service.

The Welcome Weekend committee has sought the endorsement of Cornell's Greek organizations, student groups and the downtown community through the Ithaca Downtown Partnership. "We are actively pursuing more partnerships, both on and off campus, to truly make Welcome Weekend a community event," said Brandon Otto '04, chair of the student committee overseeing the event.

Municipal officials have been enthusiastic about the initiative. Cohen, who attended Wednesday's event, said he is a strong supporter of Welcome Weekend. "Education is a critical part of the effort in getting students to understand that they can have a good time without having to alter their consciousness," he said. "I hope this is the start of a new tradition at Cornell."

Victor Loo, the recently appointed chief of the Ithaca Police Department, echoed Cohen's sentiments. "We want the students of Cornell's stay in Ithaca to be a rewarding experience, both academically and socially," he said. "We would like all students to remember that their presence impacts the full-time residents of the city, and we ask them to be good neighbors."

In addition to giving students more opportunities for alcohol-free socializing, the Welcome Weekend committee hopes to get incoming students more involved with their larger community. "We feel very strongly that we need to emphasize the greater Ithaca community early on, so they don't just associate Cornell with what's up on the hill, but also downtown and the greater community," said K'Bedford.

Noah Doyle '03, president of the Student Assembly, commented: "I believe the events this committee of students has planned will attract a large group of students and create a campus tradition that will be here for years to come. I only wish I wasn't graduating in the spring."

For more information, contact K'Bedford at 255-1125.