On May 8, 1977 one arm of Cornell University, the Cornell Concert Commission, did something that made Cornell look really damn cool. It was on that date that the Concert Commission sponsored the Grateful Dead in Barton Hall, resulting in the recording of famous Barton Hall 77 tapes.

But back to the point: Grateful Dead. Cornell. <3. Super famous concert. (Soooo famous the 2007 Ithaca Mayor declared May 8^th “Grateful Dead Day”!)

Well, thirty-plus hippie dippie years later and the Concert Commission is at it again –– minus Jerry Garcia. This go-around, founding Grateful Dead members Phil Lish and Bob Weir are returning to Cornell’s Barton Hall this Sunday with their new band, Furthur, which means that by weekends start, a lovely batch of Deadheads shall inhabit Ithaca.

But Sgt. Mospan from the Cornell University Police Department will have none of it. He’ll be doing everything in his power to ensure that every building on the Cornell campus is locked so tight that not even a spec from a Deadhead sneeze can enter. Read his wigged out letter after the jump:

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It’s on. Dartmouth’s Greek Life leaders just blitzed an email to the whole campus, taking direct aim at the Hanover Police’s aggressive anti-fun alcohol crackdown. IvyGate has received an exclusive copy of the missive, which is probably the most cogent thing ever scribbled down in a frathouse.

Hanover Police’s proposal will roll back a decade of progress.

The best points?

1) The initiative will make students less likely to use the Good Samaritan Policy, due to increased fear of arrest and criminal charges. 2) Such a policy will drive drinking “underground” into less regulated and more dangerous environment.

All in all, it’s good to see that the Dartmouth fratboys and sorority gurls are interested in “a substantive and civil conversation on the issue.” And, of course, if that doesn’t work, they can always try burning down buildings and poisoning peeps.

But despite the typo-laden but well-argued email, brace yourselves for some bad news:

Greek organizations will now REQUIRE that all visitors present either valid Dartmouth identification or a legal state license that proves that they are over 21 years of age.

Ouch… Dartmouth frats checking IDs? That’s like, Yale bro-ing out or Princeton getting good grades. Then again, we’re sure that this new policy will be reallllly strictly enforced by the Greek houses.

At any rate, the battle for police sanity continues in Hanover. We’ve already given you a Facebook outlet and Chief Giaccone’s contact info, and will keep you updated as the tips flood in. Keep fighting the good fight, Dartmouthians. And remember, reading the age on an ID is really hard in the dark.

Read the full email–sent by the Dartmouth Greek Leadership Council, InterFraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, and Co-Ed Council to the entire college–after the jump.

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When it rains, it pours. Dartmouth better brace itself for a real, non-lame student uprising. In the few hours since the sting operation announcement, Dartmouth chat board boredatbaker.com has exploded with anti-police vitriol and mobilization schemes. Check it out: the posts are flooding in as we write. Some highlights:

like if this shit is enforced, it’s over. dartmouth social life as we know it is over.

a frat brother needs to apply to be a sting agent to infiltrate the operation, learn the rules, and see how its done

FUCK THE PO-LICE. I forsee a student uprising so big it’ll make the 7 years war look like a bar fight. And I bet Chief Nick Giaccone can barely hide his boner when talking about the proposed ’sting operation.’ Seriously dude youre up against a bunch of drunk teenagers not the mafia.

I GOT PEANUT BUTTER ON MY DICK!!!!!!!!!

Mature dialogue indeed. Then again, lots of posters are reminding us that the traditional Dartmouth shitshow Winter Carnival is coming up. Great timing, popo.

In the meantime, the Facebook group “Students Against Hanover Police Alcohol Policy” has shot up to 655 980 1792 members (42% of the undergraduate population), and is gaining by the second. The group puts two-and-two together:

This would, in effect, close down the frats into strictly members only events, and there would cease to be open parties or even open front doors on any night of the week.

Finally, Dartmouthians internet-over are resorting to the ultimate trump card: Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone’s contact info, lovingly reproduced below.

PoliceChief@hanovernh.org, Nicholas Giaccone, Barnard Road, Grantham NH, 603 863 8375

Do with that what you will, Dartmouth, and keep checking back here for continued coverage. Thanks for the tips. We’re with you in spirit; though, for now, not “spirits.” We don’t want to end up in jail.

Remember that whole drinking-age-of-21 thing we have here in the US? You know… absurd, internationally-unprecedented, and more to blame for binge drinking and drunk driving than testosterone and Grand Theft Auto put together?

Well apparently, in the wake of three poisoned freshmen at Pike, the Hanover Police do. After an intense meeting with Greek organization leaders and other concerned Dartmouthians, the fuzz has just announced that they will begin “sting operations,” as part of an ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal alcohol consumption on campus. How? Espionage. Really:

As part of the compliance checks, Hanover Police plans to send non-police operatives posing as underage individuals into Greek organizations’ physical plants during parties to see if they are able to procure alcohol, he said. Hanover Police could then use the information as cause to arrest individuals or bring further legal action against Greek organizations.

Essentially, that cutie you were trying to bed at the PhiDelt-post-renovation-party could turn out to be a glock-packing snitch; rather than buzzed and laid, you’ll end up in a 5-by-5 cell. Repercussions of the new Mission-Impossible infiltration scheme will be even harsher for the frats themselves. 100 G’s harsher:

Greek organizations can be tried as corporations, and can be charged with reckless conduct, a felony-level fine, for providing alcohol to those underage…With evidence that Greek organizations are supplying underage individuals with alcohol, the organization can be fined from $2,000 for a misdemeanor to $100,000 for a felony.

Naturally, this new police policy is incredibly stupid. Even more naturally, the Dartmouth campus is in uproar, with students, alumni, and faculty alike protesting in droves. John Alekna ‘10, president of the recently immolated Phi Delt, hits the nail on the head:

This will drive drinking underground.

Alumni Joe Asch ‘79 is the coolest 52-year-old we know:

How does this help kids deal with over-consumption? This will make kids hide, they’re not going to stop.

The Hanover Police playing spy novel in an errant attempt to suck all the remaining life out of Dartmouth’s campus: irresponsible and counterproductive to be sure. But unexpected? Nah. Dartmouth already leads the League in unnecessary alcohol-related arrests:

“To protect and serve,” eh?

Read on after the jump for the full text of the police email, details from the portentous meeting, and implications for the Dartmouth social scene.

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Sometimes the most terrifying stories come to us from random bloggers with police scanners. (<3 internet <3)

At around 5:30pm yesterday, Cambridge police sent out a somewhat worrying dispatch from Harvard Square:

“He is armed with a machete, so use caution.”

You heard that right: Harvard is ringing in the new semester with a scene straight out of Halloween. As we’re guessing this guy probably isn’t clearing brush or participating in a Central African rebellion, the best policy now is probably caution. Stay on the lookout for:

“a white man, between 16-17 years old, 6 feet tall, with blond hair and a black jacket with white stripes.”

Oh, the youth of today… with their violent video-games, hip-hop music, Lady Gaga and machetes. Where did we go so wrong?

In all seriousness, stay safe Cantabs. We don’t want any of you to end up macheted (you provide us with far too much material). Steer clear of The Pit, Brattle Street, and Harvard Yard–where police are making the rounds–and, as the helpful cops suggest, “keep an eye out.”

As of now, we can only guess at the identity of the vagrant. We just hope it’s not an enraged Crimson Staffer going postal. Or worse, Lena Chen, back for revenge. Good God, what if it’s Henry Louis Gates, taking down whitey once and for all??? Where’s a cop to act stupidly when you need him?

Just saying: New Haven seems pretty cozy right now.

Police have recently identified 24-year-old Raymond Clark as a suspect in the Anne Le murder at Yale. Cops arrived at his apartment in Middletown, Connecticut but did not arrest him, claiming to only have a “person of interest.” A lab technician at the lab where Le worked, Clark displayed visible chest marks and also failed a polygraph test. But according to a source close to Clark and his family:

Of course, he had scratches on his arm–from his cat. I know he didn’t do it, but I can’t understand how anybody would do that in the first place and put her in the wall like that. And they would have had to do it at night because certainly nobody could have done it during the day when everybody was looking.

Clark hadn’t been seen since last Thursday following the Tuesday disappearance of Le. Le’s body was found this weekend in a chute in the basement of the pharmacology research facility on 10 Amistad Street. Yale has since increased security in the surrounding area following the murder. Le’s fiancé Jonathan Widawsky, who had been cleared of being a suspect, has been assisting police with their investigation.