Throngs of college students spread over the entire libe slope shaking to the tunes of three different genres unleashed via an array of JBL speakers and woofers creating a thumping atmosphere - that was just one aspect of the Slope Day 2012.
An annual spectacular to mark the last day of classes, slope day is the traditional event when students from all departments and batches unite for a single common cause - letting it loose! It is amazing how the managers were able to pull out the event given the fact that we had a hailstorm just the previous night that stripped the town off power for an hour. The prevalent rains and stormy weather would have dampened the spirits of many while the coordinators were at work erecting the fences through the night, their optimism providing the courage. And it seems, fortunately, the weather Gods gave way to the hopes of thousands by setting up a beautiful backdrop with the perfect weather - a cloudy sky with light sun!
I arrived for the event pretty early right after my lab (yes I had a lab!) at noon. We entered from Ho Plaza and the liveliness in the atmosphere set the tunes for an exhilarating evening ahead. There were food stalls offering cup cakes, sweet donuts, drinks for light refreshments and then down the slope were more food stalls for proper meals. But of course the crowd had piled up into a single line that led to the alcohol section. And I must say how well the entire crowd was managed.
Having come from the institute that hosts Asia's largest cultural festival the meticulous planning that was apparent in the Slope day was praiseworthy. There were numerous volunteers spread across the entire arena with backpacks filled with water bottles handing them generously to anybody who could use a sip. Then there were others carrying plastic bags and wearing tags indicating what would go in those bags - compost, trash, recyclable, plastic, etc. Also on site was Ithaca police well equipped with the gear to tackle any situation. And this was very well tested when a minor scuffle broke up between two students when they had to interfere and there radios came in handy to call for additional help. There was another section for first-aid with doctors and ambulance ready in case of any emergency. Apart from the readiness in terms of man power the entire process that required regulation like adherence to queues, purchase of food and alcohol tickets was done in an orderly and fool proof manner such that it could not be replicated or abused. Quite impressive!
The highlight of the evening were the concerts - The Wailers, Neon Trees and Taio Cruz. I went right upto the stage for the last two and I could tell that it had been a long time since my ear drums had vibrated with such a high amplitude! A few minutes into the crowd it was impossible to hear anybody around except for the unanimous clamor that followed the song. As cliche as it might sound - I was completely immersed in the sound waves and was flowing with the beats. Has it been long since I went to a concert! To add to the excitement and the frenzy the volunteers had been sprinkling water at the crowd and the crowd supplemented by sprinkling from their own bottles. With that, the mud from the ground began taking friction away and there is where I guess it got it's name from - Slip, I mean Slope, Day! To give the perfect ending to the day was "Dynamite" from Taio Cruz and I got goosebumps witnessing the exuberance in the air.
All in all the pleasant weather, the charged up atmosphere and the high spirits of thousands of students added up to bring a memorable end to the first year of graduate studies at Cornell.
PS: Photos courtesy Cornell University @ Facebook.
An annual spectacular to mark the last day of classes, slope day is the traditional event when students from all departments and batches unite for a single common cause - letting it loose! It is amazing how the managers were able to pull out the event given the fact that we had a hailstorm just the previous night that stripped the town off power for an hour. The prevalent rains and stormy weather would have dampened the spirits of many while the coordinators were at work erecting the fences through the night, their optimism providing the courage. And it seems, fortunately, the weather Gods gave way to the hopes of thousands by setting up a beautiful backdrop with the perfect weather - a cloudy sky with light sun!
I arrived for the event pretty early right after my lab (yes I had a lab!) at noon. We entered from Ho Plaza and the liveliness in the atmosphere set the tunes for an exhilarating evening ahead. There were food stalls offering cup cakes, sweet donuts, drinks for light refreshments and then down the slope were more food stalls for proper meals. But of course the crowd had piled up into a single line that led to the alcohol section. And I must say how well the entire crowd was managed.Having come from the institute that hosts Asia's largest cultural festival the meticulous planning that was apparent in the Slope day was praiseworthy. There were numerous volunteers spread across the entire arena with backpacks filled with water bottles handing them generously to anybody who could use a sip. Then there were others carrying plastic bags and wearing tags indicating what would go in those bags - compost, trash, recyclable, plastic, etc. Also on site was Ithaca police well equipped with the gear to tackle any situation. And this was very well tested when a minor scuffle broke up between two students when they had to interfere and there radios came in handy to call for additional help. There was another section for first-aid with doctors and ambulance ready in case of any emergency. Apart from the readiness in terms of man power the entire process that required regulation like adherence to queues, purchase of food and alcohol tickets was done in an orderly and fool proof manner such that it could not be replicated or abused. Quite impressive!
The highlight of the evening were the concerts - The Wailers, Neon Trees and Taio Cruz. I went right upto the stage for the last two and I could tell that it had been a long time since my ear drums had vibrated with such a high amplitude! A few minutes into the crowd it was impossible to hear anybody around except for the unanimous clamor that followed the song. As cliche as it might sound - I was completely immersed in the sound waves and was flowing with the beats. Has it been long since I went to a concert! To add to the excitement and the frenzy the volunteers had been sprinkling water at the crowd and the crowd supplemented by sprinkling from their own bottles. With that, the mud from the ground began taking friction away and there is where I guess it got it's name from - Slip, I mean Slope, Day! To give the perfect ending to the day was "Dynamite" from Taio Cruz and I got goosebumps witnessing the exuberance in the air. All in all the pleasant weather, the charged up atmosphere and the high spirits of thousands of students added up to bring a memorable end to the first year of graduate studies at Cornell.
PS: Photos courtesy Cornell University @ Facebook.
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