Homecoming, Winter Carnival and Green Key weekend standout as the highlights of Fall, Winter and Spring term, respectively. The summer, however, features no such big College-sponsored weekend, forcing students to create their own annual ad hoc event.
However, the unofficial big weekend of the summer also brings with even more risk and greater concern for the community as students hit the Connecticut River for Tubestock.
"When you mix walking to Vermont, police, college students, drinking, and river water, all hell breaks loose," Vic Glazer '06 said.
Anticipating this concern, Interfraternity Council risk manager Mike Reiss '06 sent an e-mail to all Greek houses earlier this week with a list of rules, and a copy of the Vermont alcohol policy.
In Vermont's Windsor County, students do not have to take a Breathalyzer test to be convicted of an alcohol violation.
This is also the first Tubestock in which the New Hampshire Open Container Law will be in effect.
The penalties of a first offense alcohol violation in Vermont include a notice of violation, and, if not enrolled promptly in an alcohol program, a $300 fine and loss of driver's license will ensue, according to Vermont alcohol policy. The penalty for a second offense could be a fine of up to $600, 30 days in jail or both.
Vermont's punishment for supplying alcohol to a minor is even harsher.
According to Vermont law, an underage alcohol supplier could receive a fine of $500 to $2000 per minor in addition to the possibility of two years in jail.
One regulation of which students might not be aware is a law that prevents citizens from parking a motor vehicle on a highway in Vermont. If driving and parking near the Tubestock site, student drivers could be ticketed and towed.
New for this year, the Greek Leadership Council is providing a shuttle bus to take students from the front of Robinson Hall to the Tubestock site, in an effort to cut down on the number of students who drive to the Vermont location.
"The shuttle is free, and will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. bringing students both ways," GLC member Gregory Olwell '06 said. "This will alleviate parking problems and DUI issues. The shuttles can accommodate people, tubes and coolers. Hopefully they will run every 10 minutes."
Because of the unpredictibility of homemade rafts, the IFC has already taken measures to keep students safe during Tubestock in addition to the informational BlitzMail message it sent to houses earlier this week.
The InterFraternity Council arranged for each house to appoint three sober monitors and petitioned for student emergency medical technicians to patrol the river during festivities.
"The sober monitors are the buffer between students and Safety and Security and police," IFC President Terry Cunningham '06 said. "The EMTs are emergency medical technicians who are there to provide medical assistance until paramedics arrive. If assistance is needed, simply call out to one of the sober monitors in a red visor to find a student EMT."
With a forecast in the upper 70s and a 30 percent chance of rain Saturday, students will still take to the river.
"I don't really know enough about physics to calculate how many rain droplets it takes to sink a girl, a coozie and a hot-pink float. Does that even involve physics? Probably not. But Tubestock will involve me, that's for damn sure," Amanda Dobbins '06 said.
Libby Hadzima '06 said that she would not be deterred by rain.
"If it rains it is not a problem," Hadzima said. "In fact, it's better. Because then I'm bringing my Mickey Mouse poncho -- and Mickey likes to rage."
Because Tubestock is not an official Dartmouth holiday weekend, and parties are difficult to register during the summer, there are fewer official campus activities to choose from.
Some of the Greek houses have chosen to have non-alcoholic versions of their characteristic Dartmouth holiday parties. However, these Greek parties seem not to be the focus of Tubestock weekend.
When else do students willingly hike to Vermont, use power tools, drink while using faulty flotation devices, willingly play in the rain, and hang out on and jump off of large quantities of rugged wooden platforms supported by floating Styrofoam? Quite obviously, Tubestock is not the usual college holiday.
"Tubestock at Dartmouth makes me think of Christmastime for Jews," Matt Schwartz '06 said. "It's like a total reversal of usual life standards -- from challah to eggnog. From basements and frigidity -- to water and nudity. This will be an event to remember."
