President Urges Cortaca Cooperation
11/11/2014
On Nov. 15, Cortaca Jug will be hosted at SUNY Cortland. This year’s game is the 73rd meeting of the SUNY Cortland and Ithaca College football teams, and the 56th competition vying for possession of the legendary Cortaca Jug.
I urge all students to enjoy this extraordinary tradition and make it a truly memorable experience – for all the right reasons.
All of us are aware of the cloud that hangs over Cortaca Jug in the wake of the dangerous and destructive behavior that erupted during last year’s Cortaca weekend. Many of you remember the public calls for the game’s cancellation, and our promises to the community that the events of 2013 would never happen again.
It is in your best interests to help us keep that promise. Students who demean the Cortaca Jug tradition by defining it solely as a weekend of underage drinking, random property destruction, lewd social media posts and potentially life-threatening behavior will be met with considerably strengthened security and law enforcement. This effort includes a greater police presence, improved cooperation with local taverns, new city ordinances, increased city fines and streamlined procedures aimed at allowing officers to make all arrests that are warranted. Both law enforcement agencies and the College will be closely monitoring all social media; none of which are as anonymous as many students think they are. Please remember that unthinking actions – whether a drunken Tweet or a damaged car - can delay or end the careers all of you are working so hard toward.
Last year left us with little tolerance for bad behavior, but rumors of rubber bullets, mounted officers and military equipment are completely unfounded. We know the vast majority of SUNY Cortland students caught up in last year’s events were not actively engaged in destructive behavior. And we are counting on them – the intelligent majority who know how to balance fun with the rights of others – to help us take Cortaca back.
So please, enjoy the new campus activities surrounding this year’s Cortaca Jug. Control any friends who come to visit you, and be mindful of all your actions. This is CORTACA JUG, the greatest football tradition in Division III athletics and a part of what makes SUNY Cortland – your college and part of your permanent reputation – a unique educational experience.
All the Best,
Erik J. Bitterbaum, President, SUNY Cortland
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