Over the years, the notoriously steep hill behind the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house became particularly famous for the slip and slide event the fraternity hosts on the slope every fall.
This year, however, the fraternity decided to cancel the event at the request of the Dean of Students Office.
Many students, including those who aren”t part of the University of Idaho Greek system, have expressed their disappointment over the cancelation of the event. While this may seem like the end of a tradition that has lasted decades, the university”s request for Delta Tau Delta to reign in any slip and slide antics is about more than potential liability issues.
Although liability issues are a major concern, as the only safety measures put in place to prevent students from sliding all the way down the hill and into the asphalt were a couple of old mattresses, the request made by the Dean of Students Office represents a shift in the choices of the university”s administration.
Rather than turning a blind eye and allowing the possibility for students to get seriously injured, the university”s decision to end the event shows the administration”s concern for the health of welfare of the students, but it also may mean stricter regulations for on-campus students.
It appears that no one has been seriously injured while participating in the event. Students have reported a history of minor injuries such as chipped teeth and sprained ankles.
The university”s request to cancel the event serves as a precautionary measure – it”s better that the event is canceled as a means of prevention rather than as the consequence of a student actually getting seriously injured.
When making future decisions, UI should keep in mind the deeply held value of tradition for Greek houses. It”s important to preserve traditions if at all possible.
It”s also important to remember that the event was not shut down by UI, but was canceled by the fraternity as a result of a university request.
Delta Tau Delta chose to comply with the request, but could have easily objected and fought to keep the event.
As appealing of an idea as sliding down a steep hill on a giant wet sheet of plastic is, both the administrators and students recognize this as a situation in which injuries and serious accidents could arise.
Rather than take a defensive stance against the university”s decision to request the cancelation of the event, it”s important to remember that the physical welfare of every student on campus is valuable.
The event was not hosted this year, but that doesn”t necessarily mean the end of a tradition. The slip and slide event, as it had been set up in previous years, was an extreme safety hazard.
There has been no definitive say as to whether the university would be opposed to the event coming back if the slip and slide set-up was constructed in a safer way. This decision doesn”t necessarily mean Delta Tau Delta is putting their slip and slide away for good, it just happens to be what is best for the welfare of UI students right now.
– CB