A day off of classes close to the end of the spring semester has been a tradition for about 50 years. The day has officially been called Governor's Day, All Campus Day or Meltdown in the past. But students have dubbed it "Case Day" and it is this enduring unofficial name that has worried campus administration the most. Several groups, including the UAF police department, worked hard this year to reform the event, giving it the new name of Nanook SpringFest and providing a number of alcohol-free activities for students to enjoy.

Lieutenant Syrilyn Tong played a major role in developing and executing the first-ever Lottanobooza. The name was adapted from an event called Lollanobooza that was found by Tong in the book, "Promising Practices: Campus Alcohol Strategies."

The idea had primarily been to invite campus leaders to challenge students to abstain from alcohol for 24 hours, an idea opposite of the traditions carried out during Case Day in the past.  The unofficial leaders ideally would have been the UAF hockey team.  Although contact was attempted, head hockey coach Guy Gadowsky's support was not achieved.  In order to publicize the event, the Lottanobooza planners decided to order T-shirts.

Two and a half weeks before Lottanobooza, 73 letters were sent to local business to solicit prizes and 62 businesses donated toward the event.   The UAFPD worked closely with the MBS residence life staff that purchased a Portable Breath Tester.

At 11 p.m. on Thursday night, 278 students arrived to pledge their abstinence from alcohol.  Students under the age of 21 signed a form informing them that if alcohol were found in their system, they would still face criminal or administrative sanctions.  The number of participants was so great the UAFPD had to use one of their own breath testers in order to keep up. The 4 a.m. check –in proved the most difficult for students, a group of 43 didn't come in for the scheduled test. Throughout the day others missed check-ins, but at the final check-in 232 prizes were given away.

"There wasn't really one winner, everyone who participated got something," Tong said.

Following the SpringFest festivities, rumors were heard that students had been arrested for consuming after being tested at Lottanobooza.

According to Tong's After Action Report, "The idea that someone who had drunk would blow into a PBT, just to see if it worked, never materialized."

But Tong still has mixed feelings about the results of Lottanobooza.  After the event anonymous surveys were handed out.  Out of 206 pledgers only 29 reported putting down the beer solely for Lottanobooza.

"There were eight police incidents related to Case Day which is in line with past (statistics)".  With six of those incidents occurring in the Cutler Apartment Complex Tong said, "I don't feel it made as big as an impact as I had hoped."

The surveys reported that the pledgers did enjoy the Lottanobooza event and hope to see it in the future with advice toward some improvements.  Surveys had advice for longer periods between check-in times and a check-in station on lower campus.  One committee member summed up the hopes for future Lottanobooza events with, "The underclassmen that participated in Lottanobooza would eventually be the people who will move into Cutler in the future, and that perhaps the program, over time, will reap rewards".