As a student at Penn State
University, I am proud of my school’s historical background of excellence. More
recently though, Penn State has been tagged with another reputation, which is
the top party school. At first, I was never too ashamed of this reputation. At
some points, I found myself proud of it. To think, Penn State can be the top
party school in the country and still get more students into career fields than
any other college. This was impressive to me. But after listening to the
podcast, I felt ashamed by some of my fellow students.
As a
brother of a fraternity here at Penn State, I realize that partying is big
here. I don’t feel that it is the only thing here. There are many other
worthwhile activities and organizations that students can be a part of that
have no focus on partying. I think “The American Life” presents Penn State in a
very bad light. Some of the information is valid, but I feel it is very over-exaggerated.
Although the opinion in the podcast was backed up with facts, it lacked a
complete view of the school. I do not
agree with the perspective of Penn State described in the podcast. Having said
that, I was very interested in some of the examples used, and it has caused me
to reconsider what it really means to go to a party school.
Many
appeals were used to exemplify the idea that Penn State is a major party
school. For example, the use of logos is pervasive and blatant. Numerous facts
and figures are referred to, such as the percentage of students who binge drink
and the incidences of alcohol related assault, rape, etc. These figures back up the view of Penn State
as a drinking haven. Also, pathos is employed in an attempt to vilify the
school for allowing such behavior to occur. Finally, through the accounts of
students dying or being severely injured from drinking, the podcast appeals to
the listeners’ sense of ethos.
The most
shocking and upsetting thing I learned from the podcast was that the average
blood alcohol content for alcohol-related visits to Mount Nittany Medical
Center is 0.252%. I am stunned by this
figure because it is extremely high. The fact that this is just an average and
some people exceed this frightens me. The fact of the matter is, there is
drinking at every college, and I feel it can be okay if done responsibly. There
is no denying that Penn State will never get rid of drinking altogether. It has
become synonymous with drinking. The podcast showed how important football and
drinking is to the alumni. Despite the horrific stories of kids passing out in
random houses, public urination, and examples of violence I am still proud of
my school for what it is. And that is a party school that provides an excellent
education.
You said it like no other "A party school that provides a great education". I felt that the podcast was exaggerated too. While it talks about parties that include drinking it doesn't highlight the parties such as THON where we wouldn't dare drink.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the fact that they put Penn State in the wrong light. It is clear that leaving out all of the good parts of this university makes it look all bad, but there is so much more in the bigger picture going on here. Work hard, play hard. There’s no shame in that.
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