Illustration by Alicia Toldi
This year, a Centennial Gala will be replacing Connecticut College’s annual fall tent dance that occurs on the Saturday night of Fall Weekend, and that has become somewhat of a tradition for Conn Students. Despite rumors of cancellation due to past inappropriate behavior, administrators and student leaders explain that the tent dance is simply not fit to cater to the record number of students, faculty, parents and alumni anticipated to be on campus for the college’s Centennial celebration finale.
From the rise in attendance at past tent dances, it is clear that the event is extremely popular among students. With this popularity, however, come certain issues that cause a significant increase in reports and issues in the Office of Student Life. Though concerns surrounding the safety of tent dances were brought up in a council meeting earlier this year, Scott McEver, the Director of Student Engagement & Leadership, assured the council that these issues will not affect future tent dances. Many have expressed hope that there will be an open discussion about the risks of tent dances so large student events in the future can be more successful and less dangerous.
“Tent dances over the past three, four, five years have had significant issues associated with, but not limited to, sexual assault, increased vandalism… pretty serious physical assaults…and not surprisingly, I suppose, a higher level of intoxication and transports,” explained Scott McEver. “So those are concerns we want to look at in anticipation of kids wanting to do a tent dance in the spring or the fall or whenever else.”
The popularity of the tent dances also fueled a pool of rumors when word got out that there would be an alternative event on Fall Weekend. Even within the Office of Student Life there seemed to be miscommunication and disagreement on issues concerning the tent dance. While Dean of Student Life Jocelyn Briddell was most distressed about the increased reports of sexual assaults after tent dances, Darcie Folsom, Coordinator of Sexual Violence Education and Advocacy, believes the issues coming to her office “are not unique” to the tent dance.
McEver supports Folsom’s beliefs. “There have been situations with sexual assault and those sorts of issues in the past, and so if that causes the cancellation of [the tent dance], there would be a lot of events that would be cancelled,” he said.
Dean Briddell feels the only way to reform behavior and foster respect on campus is a campus-wide discussion led by student leaders, faculty and staff. “I mean, I’m not going to arbitrarily just go to make a decision,” she said. “I’m about trying to empower students to be a part of the governance system.”
All rumors aside, the true motive to have an alternative event is to be more inclusive for all guests on campus. Dean Briddell was especially excited about this event’s ability to strengthen the college community.
“We thought if we did something with Cro… people could shift from one place to another, there’s different kinds of music going on, that would be really more all-encompassing and reflect that we are a community,” she said. “We talk about being a community, so to me, that would really reflect that’s what we are.”
Student Activities Council Chair Geoff Taylor ’12 says there are many members of the Student Activities Council, SAC, including himself, who are “really excited” about the Centennial Gala. Taylor promised that there would be a 21-plus area serving alcohol, a Friday night Shake the Baron concert, and even a firework show funded by Alumni Relations.
Taylor has high hopes for future tent dances. “[SAC is] definitely an organization that caters to the majority of the campus, and I know that people would like to have a tent dance. So it’s definitely something we’re looking forward to doing in the spring. We’re hopeful,” he said.
There is one overarching theme behind all those organizing the events on Fall Weekend: there is no intention to pull the plug on fun and popular student events. “We’re not this secular bureaucracy that’s trying to make this a more regimented type of place,” Taylor said.
McEver notes that there will be plenty of opportunities to have fun on Fall Weekend. “There will be bar services, it has the appeal of being a fun thing. You can have a beer or a glass of wine and it’s not a crisis. We’re not crazy, we just don’t want to be unreasonable,” he said.
Folsom also notes that though there will always be isolated inappropriate incidents during events like the tent dance, students, faculty and staff should not forget that the college provides extrensive resources and support for those affected. Folsom still hopes that in the future students can avoid being bystanders to bad behavior. “We promote the Green Dot program, and it’s my hope that everyone will… stand up and do something about it because the tent dance can be a really fun activity.”
As the campus awaits a record number of visitors on Fall Weekend, most of the community is more excited to celebrate the college as a community and than they are focused on the controversy surrounding the tent dance. “I’m not looking at it in the context of retention or numbers … or anything like that. It’s about who are we as an institution,” Dean Briddell said. “Why not have a venue where everyone who is here can participate in something for once?” •
Nice article Libby, congrats.