The End of Cortaca

[Bombers798891]

Seriously, Cortland ruins everything. Thanks for nothing, drunk students

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/this_years_cortaca_game_might_have_been_the_last.html

"Bitterbaum said he had talked to the president of Ithaca College and both are considering the idea of canceling the game."

[Upstate]

Well that escalated quickly!

I'd keep the game but only allot 1000 tickets to each school, seriously how many people do each teams draw to games outside Cortaca?

Or play it at the Dome up the road that can handle all the foot and vehicle traffic.

[AUPepBand]

Well that escalated quickly!

I'd keep the game but only allot 1000 tickets to each school, seriously how many people do each teams draw to games outside Cortaca?

Or play it at the Dome up the road that can handle all the foot and vehicle traffic.

The game itself is not the issue. Pep has not heard a report of problems at the game held in Ithaca. The problems were in Cortland where the 1,000 partiers at some eight student-occupied houses along Clayton Avenue spilled out onto the streets. Pep actually knew of at least two AU students who were invited by friends to "Cortaca" but who did not attend the game in Ithaca, but watched it in Cortland. Of 80 persons arrested in Cortland, only 19 were Cortland students...

What has happened is Cortaca has turned into a "party day" and friends from other colleges are invited to the big bash, much as Alfred University and Alfred State College students are joined by their friends from other colleges for Hot Dog Day, which also drew much criticism by local residents back in late April. As in Cortland, the majority of those arrested in Alfred during Hot Dog Day festivities were neither AU or ASC students, according to the local police chief.

It's actually a discredit to the fine football teams at Ithaca and Cortland because the public drunkenness and debauchery is a distraction from the game itself.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Well that escalated quickly!

I'd keep the game but only allot 1000 tickets to each school, seriously how many people do each teams draw to games outside Cortaca?

Or play it at the Dome up the road that can handle all the foot and vehicle traffic.

The game itself is not the issue. Pep has not heard a report of problems at the game held in Ithaca. The problems were in Cortland where the 1,000 partiers at some eight student-occupied houses along Clayton Avenue spilled out onto the streets. Pep actually knew of at least two AU students who were invited by friends to "Cortaca" but who did not attend the game in Ithaca, but watched it in Cortland. Of 80 persons arrested in Cortland, only 19 were Cortland students...

What has happened is Cortaca has turned into a "party day" and friends from other colleges are invited to the big bash, much as Alfred University and Alfred State College students are joined by their friends from other colleges for Hot Dog Day, which also drew much criticism by local residents back in late April. As in Cortland, the majority of those arrested in Alfred during Hot Dog Day festivities were neither AU or ASC students, according to the local police chief.

It's actually a discredit to the fine football teams at Ithaca and Cortland because the public drunkenness and debauchery is a distraction from the game itself.

Agreed.  This is a problem at all levels.  I'm sure some people would tell me to loosen my corset and have a drink, but I think we all know there's a difference between "enjoying a few brews at the tailgate to heighten enjoyment of the game" versus "using a game as an excuse to get drunk without any regard for the athletic contest" and, as you said, such shenanigans are at best unnecessary and at worst a distraction from the actual event.

[Bombers798891]

Well that escalated quickly!

I'd keep the game but only allot 1000 tickets to each school, seriously how many people do each teams draw to games outside Cortaca?

Or play it at the Dome up the road that can handle all the foot and vehicle traffic.

The game itself is not the issue. Pep has not heard a report of problems at the game held in Ithaca. The problems were in Cortland where the 1,000 partiers at some eight student-occupied houses along Clayton Avenue spilled out onto the streets. Pep actually knew of at least two AU students who were invited by friends to "Cortaca" but who did not attend the game in Ithaca, but watched it in Cortland. Of 80 persons arrested in Cortland, only 19 were Cortland students...

What has happened is Cortaca has turned into a "party day" and friends from other colleges are invited to the big bash, much as Alfred University and Alfred State College students are joined by their friends from other colleges for Hot Dog Day, which also drew much criticism by local residents back in late April. As in Cortland, the majority of those arrested in Alfred during Hot Dog Day festivities were neither AU or ASC students, according to the local police chief.

It's actually a discredit to the fine football teams at Ithaca and Cortland because the public drunkenness and debauchery is a distraction from the game itself.

Agreed.  This is a problem at all levels.  I'm sure some people would tell me to loosen my corset and have a drink, but I think we all know there's a difference between "enjoying a few brews at the tailgate to heighten enjoyment of the game" versus "using a game as an excuse to get drunk without any regard for the athletic contest" and, as you said, such shenanigans are at best unnecessary and at worst a distraction from the actual event.

Administrators at both colleges have engaged in about 15 years of collective denial, using the "Biggest Little Game in the Country" misnomer to pretend the hype was about football and sports, and not about drinking

[Frank Rossi]

The question becomes this:  is social media making us more aware of these antics than the pre-Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram days, or is it really getting worse and worse?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/college-students-from-suny-cortland-partied-so-hard-this-wee

[Bombers798891]

The question becomes this:  is social media making us more aware of these antics than the pre-Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram days, or is it really getting worse and worse?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/college-students-from-suny-cortland-partied-so-hard-this-wee

As someone who lives in Ithaca, and has followed it first hand for a long time, this has never happened on this scale

[Frank Rossi]

The question becomes this:  is social media making us more aware of these antics than the pre-Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram days, or is it really getting worse and worse?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/college-students-from-suny-cortland-partied-so-hard-this-wee

As someone who lives in Ithaca, and has followed it first hand for a long time, this has never happened on this scale

Then here's the most bizarre takeaway I have from this episode... The game was AT ITHACA.  So, this wasn't a spontaneous, "Let's go back up campus and wreak havoc," reaction.  I know the schools are nearby, having announced at both, but with the game ending at around 3pm and daylight ending around 5:30pm, the away team had this problem?  How does that happen, and so quickly?  I've been covering the Oldest College Football Rivalry in New York for 19 seasons (Dutchman Shoes), and I couldn't fathom even the home team, if they won, reacting even close to this that quickly.  I know Cortland has a larger enrollment, but still -- this is honestly tough to fathom at all.  I'd say give it one more chance next year, and be prepared to shelve the game if it leads to anything close to this again.  What happens on the campus itself you can sort of plan for and accept as a certain normal reaction.  This wasn't.

[BomberJeff]

I remember them having issues dating back to my first year at IC about this game (11 years now).  You would always hear these token efforts about responsibility and so on, but I never got the sense they actually meant it: there was nobody on campus who would actively take on the culture because then they could kill their guaranteed 12,000 ticket cow.  That reminds me: another sign of how much they didn't seem to care- they were cramming that many people in to a stadium that had a listed capacity of half that and was clearly straining with all the additional bodies.  I went to Cortaca exactly once as a student in a non-radio sports capacity, and I can't imagine going back today to deal with the crowd.

I would be sad if this was the end if only because I know there are people in both the IC and Cortland community who still hold the rivalry of these football teams close to their heart.  I feel for them... but for the bloated monster the whole weekend has become, I wouldn't miss it at all.

[Jonny Utah]

The question becomes this:  is social media making us more aware of these antics than the pre-Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram days, or is it really getting worse and worse?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/college-students-from-suny-cortland-partied-so-hard-this-wee

As someone who lives in Ithaca, and has followed it first hand for a long time, this has never happened on this scale

Then here's the most bizarre takeaway I have from this episode... The game was AT ITHACA.  So, this wasn't a spontaneous, "Let's go back up campus and wreak havoc," reaction.  I know the schools are nearby, having announced at both, but with the game ending at around 3pm and daylight ending around 5:30pm, the away team had this problem?  How does that happen, and so quickly?  I've been covering the Oldest College Football Rivalry in New York for 19 seasons (Dutchman Shoes), and I couldn't fathom even the home team, if they won, reacting even close to this that quickly.  I know Cortland has a larger enrollment, but still -- this is honestly tough to fathom at all.  I'd say give it one more chance next year, and be prepared to shelve the game if it leads to anything close to this again.  What happens on the campus itself you can sort of plan for and accept as a certain normal reaction.  This wasn't.

Does this game bring any money to either school or town?  I mean, if the cost for safety is more than either place can handle, you don't have many options left.  I mean, look at this!!!

http://nyc.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/suny-cortland-wins-its-4th-straight-cortaca-jug-full-blown-riots-ensue/

[lewdogg11]

Looked like one hell of a party.

[Bombers798891]

I remember them having issues dating back to my first year at IC about this game (11 years now).  You would always hear these token efforts about responsibility and so on, but I never got the sense they actually meant it: there was nobody on campus who would actively take on the culture because then they could kill their guaranteed 12,000 ticket cow.  That reminds me: another sign of how much they didn't seem to care- they were cramming that many people in to a stadium that had a listed capacity of half that and was clearly straining with all the additional bodies.  I went to Cortaca exactly once as a student in a non-radio sports capacity, and I can't imagine going back today to deal with the crowd.

I would be sad if this was the end if only because I know there are people in both the IC and Cortland community who still hold the rivalry of these football teams close to their heart.  I feel for them... but for the bloated monster the whole weekend has become, I wouldn't miss it at all.

Here's all you need to know about the way people view Cortaca, as summed up in two comments by a Cortland student on an article in the post-standard:

"Second off, Cortland lives and dies with SUNY Cortland, without the school and us students, there is no Cortland. SUNY Cortland owns the SUNY system...no one really care what you and the "residents" of Cortland think. It wont end, the partying wont end, and as SUNY Cortland students, we will continue to run Cortland, NY"

"Guy yes running and swinging an axe (I know the kid), 1 cop car stolen, numerous other cars flipped,cars smashed into houses, and numerous other events during one legendary night"

How can you control that? How can you fix that? No amount of crowd control, public service announcements, letters in the school paper, service projects, or anything else can fix an event when these types of people are involved.

You have a student who seems to view "running" the town the main benefit of being a Cortland student. Who seems to think that destroying property, and putting people's safety in danger is "legendary." And that everything that transpired is part of Cortaca. These are people who simply do not care about anyone or anything but their own gratification, and whose priorities are so out of whack, it's hard to imagine them being a productive member of society.

[Jonny Utah]

I remember them having issues dating back to my first year at IC about this game (11 years now).  You would always hear these token efforts about responsibility and so on, but I never got the sense they actually meant it: there was nobody on campus who would actively take on the culture because then they could kill their guaranteed 12,000 ticket cow.  That reminds me: another sign of how much they didn't seem to care- they were cramming that many people in to a stadium that had a listed capacity of half that and was clearly straining with all the additional bodies.  I went to Cortaca exactly once as a student in a non-radio sports capacity, and I can't imagine going back today to deal with the crowd.

I would be sad if this was the end if only because I know there are people in both the IC and Cortland community who still hold the rivalry of these football teams close to their heart.  I feel for them... but for the bloated monster the whole weekend has become, I wouldn't miss it at all.

Here's all you need to know about the way people view Cortaca, as summed up in two comments by a Cortland student on an article in the post-standard:

"Second off, Cortland lives and dies with SUNY Cortland, without the school and us students, there is no Cortland. SUNY Cortland owns the SUNY system...no one really care what you and the "residents" of Cortland think. It wont end, the partying wont end, and as SUNY Cortland students, we will continue to run Cortland, NY"

"Guy yes running and swinging an axe (I know the kid), 1 cop car stolen, numerous other cars flipped,cars smashed into houses, and numerous other events during one legendary night"

How can you control that? How can you fix that? No amount of crowd control, public service announcements, letters in the school paper, service projects, or anything else can fix an event when these types of people are involved.

You have a student who seems to view "running" the town the main benefit of being a Cortland student. Who seems to think that destroying property, and putting people's safety in danger is "legendary." And that everything that transpired is part of Cortaca. These are people who simply do not care about anyone or anything but their own gratification, and whose priorities are so out of whack, it's hard to imagine them being a productive member of society.

It might take some money, but it can be controlled.

1.  Enforce any and all alcohol violations, before, during and after the game.  Make it clear to students that they will be expelled if they are charged with any criminal act on those days.

2.  Close the bars in Cortland that day, or at least keep them closed until 1 pm, and force them to comply with all laws or face stiff penalties.

3. Do what cities like Ithaca and Boston has done the last 10 years and strictly enforce off campus criminal acts and follow up with school sanctions.

4.  Have a better riot/ celebration plan on the law enforcement end. 

5.  Pressure the school to get more housing, or at least pressure them with tax/pilot programs to cover local expenses like police and fire.  If Cortland wants to spend tens of millions on sports programs, they better pick up the tab on the other end as well (state police)

[Mr. Ypsi]

I remember them having issues dating back to my first year at IC about this game (11 years now).  You would always hear these token efforts about responsibility and so on, but I never got the sense they actually meant it: there was nobody on campus who would actively take on the culture because then they could kill their guaranteed 12,000 ticket cow.  That reminds me: another sign of how much they didn't seem to care- they were cramming that many people in to a stadium that had a listed capacity of half that and was clearly straining with all the additional bodies.  I went to Cortaca exactly once as a student in a non-radio sports capacity, and I can't imagine going back today to deal with the crowd.

I would be sad if this was the end if only because I know there are people in both the IC and Cortland community who still hold the rivalry of these football teams close to their heart.  I feel for them... but for the bloated monster the whole weekend has become, I wouldn't miss it at all.

Here's all you need to know about the way people view Cortaca, as summed up in two comments by a Cortland student on an article in the post-standard:

"Second off, Cortland lives and dies with SUNY Cortland, without the school and us students, there is no Cortland. SUNY Cortland owns the SUNY system...no one really care what you and the "residents" of Cortland think. It wont end, the partying wont end, and as SUNY Cortland students, we will continue to run Cortland, NY"

"Guy yes running and swinging an axe (I know the kid), 1 cop car stolen, numerous other cars flipped,cars smashed into houses, and numerous other events during one legendary night"

How can you control that? How can you fix that? No amount of crowd control, public service announcements, letters in the school paper, service projects, or anything else can fix an event when these types of people are involved.

You have a student who seems to view "running" the town the main benefit of being a Cortland student. Who seems to think that destroying property, and putting people's safety in danger is "legendary." And that everything that transpired is part of Cortaca. These are people who simply do not care about anyone or anything but their own gratification, and whose priorities are so out of whack, it's hard to imagine them being a productive member of society.

It might take some money, but it can be controlled.

1.  Enforce any and all alcohol violations, before, during and after the game.  Make it clear to students that they will be expelled if they are charged with any criminal act on those days.

2.  Close the bars in Cortland that day, or at least keep them closed until 1 pm, and force them to comply with all laws or face stiff penalties.

3. Do what cities like Ithaca and Boston has done the last 10 years and strictly enforce off campus criminal acts and follow up with school sanctions.

4.  Have a better riot/ celebration plan on the law enforcement end. 

5.  Pressure the school to get more housing, or at least pressure them with tax/pilot programs to cover local expenses like police and fire.  If Cortland wants to spend tens of millions on sports programs, they better pick up the tab on the other end as well (state police)

Don't know enough to comment on your specifics, but I would hope they would try things to give it at least one more chance.

I DO definitely agree with your #1 point.  (I wonder if the majority of rioters were even old enough to legally drink at all?)

[sjfcards]

I feel I have to respond to this as one of the very few people I know of on these boards that lives in Cortland. On top of that I work in Ithaca and see the game from that end. My wife went to IC and two sisters and my father went to C-State.

As a resident of the town but also a big fan of D3 football, and Cortaca (honestly the only townie that likes it) this is the first time I actually sympathize with those suggesting to end the game. I attended a birthday party near downtown on Saturday, and it was way beyond what I have seen in years past. I have been around town for at least 20 Cortaca games so I have some expertise on this. I used to go out for Cortaca when I was younger, and it was always rowdy and on the edge. But what I saw Saturday, and Sunday morning were totally unacceptable.

Please don't think this is just some old guy complaining about drunk college kids. I am way tolerant of college kids having fun, and I almost always argue that Cortaca is net positive for the town economically.

But here is the thing. Clayton ave is a city street. It isn't just college housing. I know a couple in their 70s who live on the street. They were trapped in their house while the craziness from the game went on all day (Clayton Abe was closed around 11am due to the crowds and not reopened until around 8:30 Sunday. I have friends who are local cops who we're refusing to get out of their patrol cars because it was unsafe for them to just be outside. Prospect Terrace was swamped and only wasn't closed because the cops from out of the area that were called in needed it as an access point to Clayton Ave.

And what makes this issue so difficult to control is that it isn't any one groups fault. According to the Cortland Standard their were about 8,000 people on the streets partying, but Cortland only has an enrollment of 6,500. Visitors from other schools and even townies get involved in the partying as well. So it is not all on the school that a huge group parties at off campus housing. And the Cortland police force is only so big, so they have to call in outside forces to handle crowds like that. And as much as it kills me to say it, there is only one way to ensure that what Cortland saw on Saturday is to stop the game. Otherwise there is always going to be some problems. I still want to see the game continue, but as is, it is way too out of control.

Also, I have to say this about the quote from the college kid about owning the city.  SUNY and the town have a mutually beneficial relationship. While the Cortland economy is certainly reliant on the college for a large chunk of the pie, SUNY is not the largest employer in the area (that would be Cornell), and without a Town to support the school the students would not have a school to go to. It is comments like that one that lead people to say how stupid Cortland students are around this time of year in these boards. Come on man.