For the fourth year in a row, Psi Upsilon fraternity will not hold its Winter Carnival keg jump.
The jump was set to return this year to an off-campus location in nearby Vermont. A venue had been found, buses had been rented to transport students and a sound system had been secured. The weather, however, did not cooperate.
A recent bout of warm temperatures kept the keg jump's surface -- a thick layer of ice -- from solidifying, and as a result, the jump was again cancelled.
The keg jump -- a tradition celebrated at 19 Carnivals -- has not been held since February 2000, when the College alleged that alcohol was served to minors. Psi U was subsequently placed on probation for six weeks. The following year, the fraternity was unable to secure insurance coverage for the event and cancelled festivities.
The jump customarily occurred on an ice rink on Psi U's front lawn. In the weeks before Carnival, Psi U members would apply water to the fraternity yard to form a layer of ice of the appropriate thickness.
On the day itself, hundreds of spectators would surround the rink and the membership of the fraternity would don ice skates and hockey padding.
Members would attempt to leap a growing row of kegs, which were placed on the ice. Mattresses were stacked at the end of the row for the protection of those participating in the event.
Members estimated that attendance at the last keg jump, which was held in 2000, exceeded 600 people. They added that the crowds usually included community members and a few professors, along with copious numbers of undergraduates.
Characteristics such as balance, strength, determination and tolerance were often mentioned as being crucial to a successful attempt at the jump.
Only Psi U members were allowed to compete in the jump for liability reasons. According to numerous sources, however, injuries during the event were infrequent and generally light.
The record for most kegs jumped is held by David Mace '98, at 14 kegs.
In 2000, Pablo Stern '01 won the event when he jumped over 13 kegs.
Administrators have said that they would oppose the return of the keg jump, even if Psi U were to overcome insurance obstacles.
"Too many students got hurt, too many students were intoxicated and it was an atmosphere that did not promote safety for those who participated," Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deborah Carney said.
Many Psi U members contacted by The Dartmouth characterized the keg jump's demise as an effort by College administrators to "kill" the event. Specifically, they linked the fall of the keg jump to a greater attempt on the part of the administration to control student life and social outlets.
Members of Psi U were similarly dismissive of administrators' allegations that the event was unsafe.
In past years, the jump raised funds for local charities, including the Hanover Diabetes Clinic, Outreach House and Hannah House.
Participants paid a $25 entrance fee and Psi U sold popular jump-themed T-shirts. In some cases, local businesses and individuals contributed money to sponsor specific jumpers as well.
The first jump was held in the early 1980s when some Psi U members had just finished their fifth keg on a Saturday afternoon of Carnival and prepared to watch a tractor pull on television.
After seeing the bravery of Evil Kneivel, who jumped five cars on his motorcycle, they donned hockey gear, lined up the empty kegs and proceeded to jump as many as they could.
The keg jump became a charity event in 1984, although the tradition of having a skating rink in the yard of Psi U dates back to before World War II.
During its 19-year course, the keg jump was not held on only one occasion. In 1999, following the Board of Trustees' announcement of the Student Life Initiative, the jump was cancelled and a pro-Greek rally was held in its place.
