Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and sororities)
 

By SHANNON DININNY
.c The Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Aug. 19) - Indiana University was crowned the nation's No. 1 "party school'' Monday in an annual Princeton Review survey that school leaders and medical experts derided as irresponsible and unscientific.

Following IU in the rankings were Clemson University, the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Florida.

IU officials questioned the No. 1 ranking. The school, which didn't appear on the list last year, has toughened its stance on student drinking since the 1998 alcohol-related death of a student.

In the past year, five IU fraternities have been suspended or expelled for violations of alcohol policies, said Bill Stephan, the university's vice president for public affairs.

"I think there are some serious questions about the methodology of the study and it really calls into question the credibility of the ranking,'' Stephan said.

IU freshman Anya Simonova said her school may be perceived as a party school, but noted that "it's getting quieter because they're cracking down more.'' Junior Erin Pritchard agreed.

"I'd be surprised to hear we're number one,'' she said. "Even though most people party three or four times a week, this past year they've been a lot more strict.''

The survey, conducted since 1992, ranks schools in 63 categories based on in-person or computer interviews with 100,000 students. The party school designation is based on student reports on alcohol and marijuana use, the amount of time spent studying outside of class and the popularity of fraternities and sororities on campus.

Princeton Review, a test-preparation and college admissions company with no connection to Princeton University, defended its survey.

"We simply are reporting on the conditions that exist on those particular campuses, and if social life continues to be an aspect that students comment on, then I will continue to include that list in the book,'' said Robert Franek, the company's editorial director.

Franek noted that the survey also lists the top-20 "Stone-Cold Sober Schools,'' where students say there is little drinking. Brigham Young University topped that list for the third straight year.

The American Medical Association has repeatedly criticized the "party school'' rankings, saying they irresponsibly legitimize high-risk drinking and portray alcohol as central to college life.

On Monday, Richard Yoast of the AMA's Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse called the survey "a marketing gimmick'' and said it does a disservice to quality universities.

Following Florida, the rest of the top 10 party schools were the State University of New York-Buffalo; the University of New Hampshire; the University of Colorado-Boulder; Florida State University; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and sororities)
 

I really do not see the relativity of this. How does the suspension of a fraternity have anything to do with the "partying statistic." Furthermore, how does the popularity of fraternities and sororities on campus figure in? I can see how they are social organizations; however, there are some social org's who aren't very social, or perhaps not social at all!

I think to rank schools according to which is more of a party school than another is funny and has no purpose, other than to tell high school students that if they go to this particular school they have a better chance at finding a good party rather than finding a good study group. (Okay, that may be pushing it a little. I just think ranking schools according to social life is a little ridiculous.)

If people didn't pay lots of attention to it then it wouldn't make the news... If people percieve a subject as important (or the media think they will) it'll air.

Ten Schools That Party the Heartiest
 

http://encarta.msn.com/collegeArticl...rtySchools.asp

1. Indiana University-Bloomington

2. Clemson University

3. University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa

4. Penn State University

5. University of Florida

6. State University of New York at Buffalo

7. University of New Hampshire

8. University of Colorado at Boulder

9. Florida State University

10. University of Wisconsin at Madison

Re: Ten Schools That Party the Heartiest
 

Yay! Sigh, I remember the days when we were number one.

sdsu used to be a top party school....but they got all strict on the rules and uped the stardards to get in, so it is not what it used to be either. back at the end of the huge party era when ther rules were getting stricter so many fraternities were kicked off...it's crazy. a lot of them are just now starting to come back on.

Re: Re: Ten Schools That Party the Heartiest
 

I know!! :p Things are so much different now...it's amazing how much "Sandy" managed to crack down even just since 1997.

surprised
 

I'm surprised to not see Arizona State on their. Playboy recently ranked us as number 1...

I'm surprised that this list differs so much from the Playboy list.

I know some people who go to IU and said that the party scene is not that intense, and they were really surprised with this ranking.

Their analysis of the Wisconsin party scene is pretty dead on, but I think that the alcohol culture here is much different than it is at many other schools. Alcohol is just integrated into almost every activity here (my boyfriend's roommate even like to bust open the vodka bottle to sip out of while he wrote papers!); it's not "just a party thing." Basically, there are a lot of people here who drink a lot of alcohol all the time and that's pretty much seen as the campus norm.

Plus there's not a lot else to do up here once it gets cold! :p

I remember when East Carolina was on there :)
Hmmmm no West Coast schools representing???? :confused:

Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and sororities)
 

exactly why OSU will never be a top party school. we get the shaft from non-greeks and administration.

Re: Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and soror
 

Don't feel bad about that. Being a top party school can be a dubious distinction.

Re: Re: Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and soror
 

Oh i wouldn't really like being known as a top party school.

Remember that there are serious questions about the methodology used by these guys.

My strong suspicion is that how a school rates counts as much on how many students reply during any given year as anything else.

Otherwise, I can't help but wonder why things change so much from year to year. Do you really think the party climate changes that much?

Re: Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and sororities)
 

Since you're Oklahoman I'm assuming you mean Okie State.. Strange that they would not list Ok State. Doesn't Stillwater have the honor of having the highest amount of beer consumed per capita in the world?

Re: Re: Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and sororities)
 

When I was in school, I heard that about O.U.

Ummmm, that's Ohio University, my alma mater. While you may, in fact, be correct, I'd sure like to see the hard statistics.

I think this might be yet another urban legend that we hear about numerous campuses.

By the way, did I tell you about the time I left my badge on the moon?

Compared to some of the well-known party schools of the day, OU (that is the University of Oklahoma) is pretty tame, though the students still power down beer and liquour like it's going outta style.

Back in my days as an undergrad... (cue up dream sequence music... ooo-wee-ooo! :)) it was not unusual to measure the popularity of parties at the Greek houses by how many kegs were at the party. The small houses (like us) could get by with one or two; most of the other houses had three, four or five-keg parties almost every Friday night. And functions (sorority/fraternity mixers) almost always included a keg or two, especially when the fraternities hosted.

Major parties like the Sigma Chi Derby Days and the Fiji Islander were open to the public back then, and it was not unusual for everybody to line up at the beer truck and tap straight from the truck. (3.2 beer, folks.) Beer distributors used to give away beer cups with Greek letters printed on them.

I remember back when I was a freshman at the dorms the last night 3.2 beer could be purchased by 18-year olds before it was jacked up to 21... most of the dorm floors were in a state of total drunken abandon until well past midnight when visitation hours were over. The hangover of the century followed! :D

AlphaSigOU,

Great stories. I'm kinda glad it's a little laid back in Norman since our son goes there.

Another Delt Alumnus here in the Denver area was what we call a DTAA (prouounded Dee-Taw, meaning Delts Talk About Alcohol) intern one year and tells me that he got to Athens, Ohio (home of the "orginal" O.U.) the day after an open party for 400. He always tells me he should have had the chapter shut down. I always tell him he's jealous. I also tell him it would have taken a real tough guy to shut down the oldest continuously active chapter in the Fraternity (1862 to present)

But seriously, that kind of party has to be a thing of the past.

Re: Re: Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and sororities)
 

Ah very true but that was back like 5-10 years ago before campus became totally dry including the Greek houses and before Stillwater cops became such jerk offs.

sorry alphasigOU, but 3-5 kegs was considered a big party??
lol. way up here in canada, lol, most frats have at least 10 kegs if not upwards to 15.
now THAT'S a party.
;)

thats huge, how? what and why am i not in canada?

Yea, it looks paltry compared to the massive quantities of suds consumed in Canada, but ya gotta remember the liquor stores and wholesalers in Oklahoma charged a high price for kegs deposit-wise (there was a time when some fraternities never bothered returning them or damaged them such so they couldn't be reused). Generally for private parties, it was a 5 kegger; open parties was at least a minimum 10 kegger (unless you're a small house way out in North Greek Siberia like us, where we could get away with about 6.)

Back in the days I was in the biggest fight in Oklahoma politics at the time was liquour by the drink (Before 1984, Oklahoma had a 'liquour by the wink' law or BYOB clubs much like Utah is today.) It was the Southern 'Babtists' and other fundamentalist Bible-thumping churches versus the restaurant lobby campaigning heavily over it. And the measure won.

(buying plane tickets to Canada... have beer will travel! :) )

Spending a semester in Canada is beginning to sound like a better idea by the minute!http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/beerchug.gif

Yeah, I think the crackdown on gigantic parties is a nationwide trend these days. The biggest party we have ever thrown was in the winter of my freshman year, we would traditionally have a "Freezer Party", and at the last one there were 600 people through the door, and 12 kegs were polished off by midnight.

Still, this doesn't compare to a story that an alumni told once: Back in the day (80s), they would hold a party called D.A.M.M. (Drunks Against Mad Mothers, I know, very un politically correct!) It would be a weekend long rager with upwards of 30 or 40 kegs!


Sometimes I think it would be fun to hold an insane party like that, but then I realize that the organization headache just wouldn't be worth it at all. :)

Re: Re: Top Party Schools Named (One basis being popularity of fraternities and sororities)
 

But wait! Ohio State and Ohio University were both on the list last year!

Oh, you didn't mean that OSU?

Guess I'll have to go back on my campaign to get us to stop using letters since they mean different things to those of us in different parts of the country.