Sophomore Family Weekend and Tubestock have both been scheduled for the weekend of July 23, and it appears that the conflict will not be resolved.
According to 2001 Class Council President Jon Potter '01, Tubestock and Sophomore Family Weekend are planned separately, because the College schedules the family weekend, while Richard "Boomer" Akerboom '80 usually decides the date of Tubestock. The College gives no official support to Tubestock because of safety concerns.
"The College doesn't want to have anything to do with Tubestock, so they try to ignore it and try to pretend it doesn't happen," Potter said. According to Potter, Akerboom, who was a member of Chi Heorot fraternity during his career at the College, plans the event for his alumni friends, and Dartmouth students "crash it" every year.
Akerboom could not be reached for comment.
Summer President of Chi Heorot Fraternity Jeff Davidson '01 said he thinks Akerboom just "threw the date down." Davidson said Akerboom cannot change the date, because bands have already been scheduled to perform, and there are also limitations on the availability of on-land space where the party can be held.
Student Chair of Sophomore Family Weekend Aaron Akamu '01 said the College has no plans to change the date of the weekend, but he does not think the date conflict will affect participation in either event.
"I think if people want to go to Tubestock, they'll just go," he said. "I don't think parents will not come because of Tubestock."
Potter also said he thinks people will participate in Tubestock, even with the scheduling conflict.
"People will find something to occupy their parents for the afternoon and go down," he said. "People may take it easier ... because they don't want to meet their parents afterward and be a mess."
Davidson said he thinks that Tubestock will only work if almost all students attend.
"It is inherent in the whole experience that you get down there and show your face," he said. "I hope to see a few parents out there."
Jess Sokolik '01 is one student who said she is unhappy about the scheduling conflict, but she said she still thinks there is a chance that the date of Tubestock could be changed.
"We could organize amongst ourselves to change Tubestock," Sokolik said. "If the Greeks agree to take on more responsibility, I think we could do it ourselves. It would take more work but it could be done."
Sokolik said she knows some students who told their parents to come during a different weekend or not at all. She said she currently has her parents "on hold" until she can decide when the actual date of Tubestock will be.
She said she considers Tubestock the "defining point of the summer term" and will tell her parents not to come if their visit means she would not be able to participate in Tubestock.
Another sophomore was not so optimistic about the date of Tubestock being changed and said if the two events end up conflicting, she will not attend Tubestock.
"We will do mainly parents weekend activities as opposed to Tubestock stuff," she said.
Tubestock was created by Akerboom, who held the party for his friends during the summer of 1987. During Tubestock, students slowly float down the river on rafts and tubes, often while drinking alcohol. Traditionally, fraternities and sororities build their own rafts to sail in the water.
However, newly-elected Coed Fraternity Sorority Council President Jo-Jo Adofo-Mensah said that Tubestock is not an official CFSC event.
