An open letter to the campus on Slope Day

This letter has been issued jointly by President Hunter Rawlings; Brian Gaither, president, Ivy Council; Stephen Rockwell, president, Student Assembly (SA); Heather Hollidge, SA representative, College of Arts and Sciences; and Kristina Eng, SA vice president for internal operations:

There is much to be said for the final celebratory gathering of the academic year on Libe Slope with friends and classmates. It is one of the rare times when our campus community can join together and celebrate this place we call Cornell. Yes, it's a day of celebration; and yes, it's a day to have fun, but all too frequently it is a day when many students abuse alcohol and become dangers to themselves and others.

Each year, the health-care services of our community are overextended, students become dangerously ill, broken bones are commonplace, and criminal instances of vandalism, assault, public lewdness and the destruction of property occur regularly. It is one thing to party; it's another to endanger your own safety and that of others.

Working together, the administration and the Student Assembly are taking a variety of steps to help make the Slope on May 2nd a safer and better place to be for the entire Cornell community. Some of these steps will include the following:

• Food vendors
  
• Free water at the base of the Slope and between Willard Straight Hall and Uris Library
  
• CU EMS, CU Police, and the ambulance service
  
• Student, faculty and staff volunteers
  
• Confiscation of large quantities of alcohol, such as kegs and cases
  
• Recycling area for the collection of cans and bottles
  
• Closing of West Avenue

Because your personal safety and that of others around you on the Slope is our principal concern, we also urge you to take the following safety precautions:

• Leave glass bottles at home -- they are a safety hazard.
  
• Be sure to consume food and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day.
  
• Visit the SMASH water tent for a free plastic bottle of water.
  
• Use the buddy system and make sure your buddy gets home safely.
  
• Use the emergency medical service available at the first aid tent, Gannett, or from the CU EMS crews if you or your friends experience illness or injury.

Please be advised that open fires, kegs/beer balls and sound systems are not permitted at any time of the day on the Slope.

We need your help as well to actively discourage the presence of non-Cornellians on the Slope that day, particularly young people from the local community.

Also, Students Offering Support (SOS) is still seeking volunteers to act as sober monitors on the Slope. These volunteers may be students, staff or faculty, and their role is to seek medical assistance for those in need and to assist with cleanup and safety efforts during the event.

Volunteers may sign up for a two-hour shift by completing an application on the Web at http://www.rso.cornell.edu:8000/sos.

On behalf of the entire administration and the Student Assembly, we ask each individual member of the Cornell community on May 2nd to take responsibility for his/her actions.

We care about your safety; please do not become a Slope Day statistic. Respect your friends, your community, your campus and above all, respect yourself.