Sober Spin on School's Party Reputation

0 Comments | Insight on the News, April 13, 2004

Byline: John Elvin, INSIGHT

Sober Spin on School's Party Reputation

Officials at the University of Colorado at Boulder have found an interesting way to spin concerns about that school's ranking as third among alcohol and drug violations in the country. The way they explain it, the statistic is not so much a negative but a result of strict enforcement of rules. Perhaps so.

Another possible explanation for the distinction, though, is to be found in a survey showing UC-Boulder as the nation's top party school. In an article about the troubled campus, the Rocky Mountain News quoted UC-Boulder's police chief as saying the high ranking is not "a bad thing," but rather it reflects the priority given to enforcement. Another school official, Linda Kuk, vice president of student affairs, seconded that line of thought: "Other campuses may look the other way; we don't."

The ranking of party schools, often attributed to Playboy magazine, long has been a popular segment of a broad annual survey profiling colleges and universities that is conducted by the Princeton Review. That independent publication bases its findings on responses of students across the country. Other campuses ranked as top party schools after UC-Boulder include the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Indiana University at Bloomington, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Washington and Lee University, University of Texas at Austin, University of the South, DePauw University, St. Bonaventure University and University of Florida.

As for the attribution of the survey to Playboy, the magazine has indeed issued two such rankings, one in 1987 and again in 2002. California State University at Chico has been living down its reputation ever since being voted the No. 1 party school in Playboy's 1987 rankings, but managed to stumble to No. 2 in 2002, behind Arizona State.

According to a Harvard University study cited by CNN, 44 percent of college students nationwide qualify as "binge drinkers." At UC-Boulder the figure is more like 63 percent, according to an expert contacted by CNN. To its credit, the Princeton Review survey also ranks schools termed "stone-cold sober." Utah's Brigham Young University led those on the straight-and-narrow path in the most recent assessment.

These Numbers Add Up to Terrorism

Zeroing in on "11" conspiracy buffs, of course, created a bit of a cottage industry around the New York City and Washington terrorist strikes of Sept. 11, 2001. The Internet abounds with weird theories, dubious information and curious lore. One of the major areas of focus has become the numeral 11.

Among more common observations, it is noted that the World Trade Center twin towers gave the appearance of that number; the first plane to hit was American Airlines Flight 11, with 92 people aboard (9 2=11); 911 is the emergency telephone number; Sept. 11 is the 254th day of the year (the sum of those numbers is 11); the first tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m. (the sum of those numbers also is 11); and on and on and on it goes.

It was a showstopper of sorts when, a year after the attacks, the winning numbers for the New York Lottery were 911. That's a chance event with odds of 1,000-to-1. More recently, the Madrid bombings took place on the 11th day of the month, 11-03-2004 (add those up as single digits and the result is 11); the date 11-03 is separated from 9-11 by 182 days (1 8 2=11). And, of course, 9-11 itself can be added as single digits to equal 11. Stretching it a bit at least for those of us unfamiliar with the unorthodox "science" of numerology much is made of the considerable number of persons connected with the event whose names, birthplaces, base of operations or some other pertinent biographical detail contain 11 letters.

The ancient Egyptians and various mystery schools through the ages have focused on the number 11 for a variety of esoteric reasons. Looking to the future, it is noted that "World War III" consists of 11 letters. Psychic Uri Geller tells us that the number, when viewed as "11:11," as on a digital clock, is "a pre-encoded trigger placed into our cellular memory banks prior to our descent into matter which, when activated, signifies that our time of completion is near." And do you notice that the two letters right in the middle of his last name, Geller, look very much like the number in question? We'd go on, but it's time for elevenses, as the Brits call their morning tea break.

Shirt Off Your Back: Censoring Outrageous T's

That's one of many legal battles resulting from bans on message-bearing attire. Haynes says schools will lose most of them due to a precedent-setting Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District. The justices ruled that a ban can be enforced only if the "speech" will cause substantial disruption or if it clearly invades the rights of others.

A Minnesota court framed the matter nicely in supporting a student whose "straight pride" T-shirt was banned. The "responsibility remains with the school and its community to maintain an environment open to diversity and to educate and support its students as they confront ideas different from their own."