On Saturday, May 23, Carleton hosted Rotblatt 160. Rotblatt, where students have the chance to play one inning of softball for every year that Carleton has existed, has been an annual campus tradition since 1964. This year, the game had 160 innings. 

Rotblatt is open to all students, and, according to the Rotblatt Commission, over three-quarters of the student population attend the event each year. Due to the large scale of the event, the planning process is a year-long affair. 

“We started week nine last spring after week eight weekend Rotblatt,” said Reese Anderson ’26, a member of the Rotblatt Commission. “We reviewed everything from last year and made some notes on improvements and things to adjust for this year. About week five of winter term, the senior commission picked the junior commissioners—there are six commissioners and every year, three junior commissioners are picked by the previous senior commissioners […] starting week one, we had weekly planning meetings and set up tasks to delegate.”

The scale of Rotblatt also necessitates that the commission coordinate with the college to ensure the event runs smoothly. “We talked with Aaron Chaput and Mikki Showers from the Recreation Center, who own the fields [that are used during Rotblatt],” said Anderson. “We chat with Facilities because we’re going to be using their field space, and we went over ground rules and electric lines and where we can place anything.”

An important part of Rotblatt is supplying free food and drink for all students. “Something we’re very proud of is that every single one of the businesses we work with is either a local or family-owned small business,” said Alyssa Alvarez ’26, another member of the Rotblatt Commission. “And the farthest we go is Minneapolis for anything that we do.” 

According to a written statement from the Rotblatt Commission, “CSA granted $8,800 towards Rotblatt shirts, on the condition that we continue our relationship with local vendors.”

This year, due to recent administrative policy changes that restricted Rotblatt’s ability to receive Carleton alumni funding, the commission focused more on fundraising during its planning process. “Rotblatt used to be school-sanctioned and at this point, it is not a school club, so we’re just a collective of six individuals who happen to have a passion for softball and Carleton history. We are not allowed to use the alumni network to fundraise like other clubs might be able to,” said Anderson. “[In previous years] we had that budget and so we had a surplus of money. At the end of last year, we finally used up all of that cushion money […] any potential debt would fall on us six as individuals.”

On May 1, the commission held a student band night on Mai Fete Island to fundraise. “I think we raised almost a grand from that,” said Alvarez.

While the commission was not allowed to use alumni funding, it did still receive money from the college. “We received more from CSA [than we usually do], which goes directly to t-shirts, and we received the same amount from the Dean of Students — which is $7,000 — which goes towards our Port-a-Potties, security and even small things like wristbands,” said Anderson. 

Although Rotblatt formally advertises itself as a softball event, in practice, it is far more free-spirited. “I went to Rotblatt in the morning and it was super nice because the weather was so beautiful and it was super chill, and people were playing many things like frisbee, rugby, volleyball and softball,” said Asuka Itokawa ’29.

For student attendees and members of the commission, what ultimately makes Rotblatt special and a uniquely Carleton tradition that lasts year after year is how it embodies Carleton’s community and campus culture.

 “Carleton students love to be under the sunshine and in nature, and Rotblatt definitely had that vibe,” said Itokawa. “It was really nice because we’re all so stressed with studying right now for finals, and it was refreshing to go outside with the good weather and talk to new people.”

Alvarez echoed Itokawa’s sentiment. “It’s just a really fun opportunity to talk to folks and hang out with people you don’t normally see. You meet people and hang out with people whom you have never met previously just because of the color of your shirts.”