Tubestock -- the popular party on the Connecticut River slated for the coming weekend -- is perhaps the most controversial of Dartmouth's festive traditions. It has never been sanctioned by the College nor planned by any central organizing body, and in the recent past, its cancellation has seemed imminent. Nonetheless, the major question about this year's fest seems to be not whether it will happen, according to students and administrators -- but how it can happen safely as possible.
A History of Controversy
Richard Akerboom '80, Thayer '82, sponsored the first Tubestock weekend in 1986. Two years ago, however, he withdrew his sponsorship without publicly explaining his reasons for doing so.
Students and law enforcement personnel alike note certain inherent risks associated with the event.
During the Class of 2003's sophomore summer, class council officials met with deans to discuss obtaining official College recognition. The talks remained inconclusive, however, with College officials maintaining that the safety risks associated with such an event were simply too great.
Ralph Davies '05, treasurer of Student Assembly and the organizer of Friday's Summer Block Party on Webster Avenue, also noted the Dartmouth administration's desire to distance themselves from any connection to events on the river. While he originally planned to name the event "A Taste of Tubestock," the name was changed because the Summer Block Party will receive funding from various College-sponsored organizations.
Tubestock and the Law
The event has come under increased scrutiny since, but law enforcement officers this year have emphasized this year that their job is merely to make sure the event is safe, "not to stop the party," Steven Waldo, an investigator with the Vermont Department of Liquor Control, told a local news outlet.
Local law enforcement officials, however, do plan to step up their efforts. Approximately 20 extra police officers will be on hand to supervise the event. About 12 will be from the Norwich police, four to six members of the New Hampshire River Patrol and the rest from the Hanover Police. Some will be undercover.
While this Tubestock will have the "most police presence" of any festival in the river's history, the numbers of cops has increased "not because the event is getting worse, but just to ensure safety," according to GLC social events manager Ben Bradley '05.
Funding to cover some of the cost of the extra officers will come from the Windsor County (Vt.) Stop Teen Alcohol Risk Programs.
Although the GLC does not formally organize the Tubestock event, its officers described making efforts to create good will between students and law enforcement regarding Tubestock.
Each Greek house will appoint two sober monitors, who will wear red visors to make them readily visible. The police have agreed to approach the monitors first about signs of trouble, according to William Fang '05, moderator of the GLC.
And because the College does not officially sponsor Tubestock, there will be no Safety and Security officers on patrol near the river.
Keeping the Riverbanks Green
Litter associated with Tubestock has often made the festival unpopular with residents along the river.
In the summer of 2003, Warren Loomis wrote an angry letter to The Dartmouth decrying the amount of waste generated by the revelers. He wrote that students displayed a "blatant disregard for the environment." Weeks after the festival, Loomis said that the public boat launch in Norwich and nearby private land was still "littered with floats, trash, junk, furniture, as well as two large Sigma Delta sorority signs."
Informal networks of student groups have since attempted to do a better job cleaning up after the festival. A combined GLC/ECO effort has placed garbage bins along the riverbank. Each Greek house has agreed to send at least one-sixth of its membership to the river to pick up trash directly after the event. Another one-sixth of each house must attend a Sunday morning
Complementing Tubestock
Other campus groups will celebrate Tubestock weekend in different ways.
On Friday afternoon, the half of Webster Avenue closest to Baker Library will be closed off for the Summer Block Party. The groups will contribute various types of foods, and the Fusion dance ensemble and a band will perform. Davies described the event as a "complement to Tubestock, not an alternative."
