TheEnforcer
08-23-2005, 05:56 PM
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/aug05/350205.asp
Survey gives UW an A+ for partying
By MEGAN TWOHEY
mtwohey@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 22, 2005
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been crowned the top party school in the country, according to an annual survey by The Princeton Review - a title drawing cheers from some students and scorn from the university's administration.
Party Lists
The top 10
1. UW-Madison
2. Ohio University
3. Lehigh University
4. UC Santa Barbara
5. SUNY-Albany
6. Indiana University
7. University of Mississippi
8. University of Iowa
9. University of Massachusetts
10. Loyola, New Orleans
Source: The Princeton Review
Sober Schools
1. Brigham Young University (Utah)
2. U.S. Air Force Academy (Colo.)
3. Wheaton College (Ill.)
4. College of the Ozarks (Mo.)
5. U.S. Naval Academy (Md.)
6. U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Conn.)
7. Webb Institute (N.Y.)
8. U.S. Military Academy (N.Y.)
9. Grove City College (Pa.)
10. Wesleyan College (Ga.)
Background
2/22/05: Binge-drinking students follow in adults' footsteps
1/16/05: Fall illustrates dangers of drinking
Advertisement
For 14 years, The Princeton Review has asked more than 100,000 students at colleges around the country to rate their schools and evaluate their campus experiences. It uses the results of the annual survey to rank schools under a variety of categories ranging from "Toughest College to Get Into" to "Most Beautiful Campus" to "Top Stone-Cold Sober School" (Brigham Young University).
Every year except one, UW has ranked among the top 20 party schools, inching up to the second and third spots in recent years. But never before has it topped the rankings.
"This is a first for UW-Madison," said Jeanne Krier, a publicist for Princeton Review Books.
It's a first that 19-year-old sophomore Jackie Borrelli from Greendale said was well-deserved.
Halloween, football games and State St. bars help fuel an environment of heavy student drinking, she said. Students enter UW expecting a lot of partying, and that's what many want.
"I think people will be proud that we're number one," Borrelli said.
But university officials who have been working to curb binge drinking on campus said the survey did nothing to address a serious problem on campus. They questioned the survey's legitimacy.
"High-risk drinking continues to be a top health issue on college campuses across the country," Chancellor John Wiley said in a written statement. "Junk science that results in a day of national media coverage does not do this issue justice."
The university has banned alcohol in dorms that house underage students. For the second year, Wiley has sent letters to the parents of incoming freshmen about the high-risk drinking that occurs during the first six weeks of classes.
Susan Crowley, director of prevention services at UW-Madison Health Services, said these efforts are paying off.
She pointed to student surveys that show that the school's binge rate, defined as binging at least one time within a two-week period, dropped from 67% in 1999 to 59% in 2004. Binging is defined as five drinks or more for males and three or more for women.
But Robert Gratzl said it appeared like binge drinking was on the upswing at UW.
His son, Jason Gratzl, suffered severe brain damage after falling off the balcony of a house party a year ago this Sunday. Gratzl had just arrived at UW as an incoming freshman. He had been drinking heavily before he fell.
"Jason said, 'I'm not going to party,' and then he did," Robert Gratzl said.
Cheryl Porior-Mayhew, the vice president of marketing and communications for UW-Madison's alumni association, said the university should get credit for its efforts.
"You can't deny that drinking is part of the culture in Madison and Wisconsin," Porior-Mayhew said. "But the university is taking good steps to address it."
Survey gives UW an A+ for partying
By MEGAN TWOHEY
mtwohey@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 22, 2005
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been crowned the top party school in the country, according to an annual survey by The Princeton Review - a title drawing cheers from some students and scorn from the university's administration.
Party Lists
The top 10
1. UW-Madison
2. Ohio University
3. Lehigh University
4. UC Santa Barbara
5. SUNY-Albany
6. Indiana University
7. University of Mississippi
8. University of Iowa
9. University of Massachusetts
10. Loyola, New Orleans
Source: The Princeton Review
Sober Schools
1. Brigham Young University (Utah)
2. U.S. Air Force Academy (Colo.)
3. Wheaton College (Ill.)
4. College of the Ozarks (Mo.)
5. U.S. Naval Academy (Md.)
6. U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Conn.)
7. Webb Institute (N.Y.)
8. U.S. Military Academy (N.Y.)
9. Grove City College (Pa.)
10. Wesleyan College (Ga.)
Background
2/22/05: Binge-drinking students follow in adults' footsteps
1/16/05: Fall illustrates dangers of drinking
Advertisement
For 14 years, The Princeton Review has asked more than 100,000 students at colleges around the country to rate their schools and evaluate their campus experiences. It uses the results of the annual survey to rank schools under a variety of categories ranging from "Toughest College to Get Into" to "Most Beautiful Campus" to "Top Stone-Cold Sober School" (Brigham Young University).
Every year except one, UW has ranked among the top 20 party schools, inching up to the second and third spots in recent years. But never before has it topped the rankings.
"This is a first for UW-Madison," said Jeanne Krier, a publicist for Princeton Review Books.
It's a first that 19-year-old sophomore Jackie Borrelli from Greendale said was well-deserved.
Halloween, football games and State St. bars help fuel an environment of heavy student drinking, she said. Students enter UW expecting a lot of partying, and that's what many want.
"I think people will be proud that we're number one," Borrelli said.
But university officials who have been working to curb binge drinking on campus said the survey did nothing to address a serious problem on campus. They questioned the survey's legitimacy.
"High-risk drinking continues to be a top health issue on college campuses across the country," Chancellor John Wiley said in a written statement. "Junk science that results in a day of national media coverage does not do this issue justice."
The university has banned alcohol in dorms that house underage students. For the second year, Wiley has sent letters to the parents of incoming freshmen about the high-risk drinking that occurs during the first six weeks of classes.
Susan Crowley, director of prevention services at UW-Madison Health Services, said these efforts are paying off.
She pointed to student surveys that show that the school's binge rate, defined as binging at least one time within a two-week period, dropped from 67% in 1999 to 59% in 2004. Binging is defined as five drinks or more for males and three or more for women.
But Robert Gratzl said it appeared like binge drinking was on the upswing at UW.
His son, Jason Gratzl, suffered severe brain damage after falling off the balcony of a house party a year ago this Sunday. Gratzl had just arrived at UW as an incoming freshman. He had been drinking heavily before he fell.
"Jason said, 'I'm not going to party,' and then he did," Robert Gratzl said.
Cheryl Porior-Mayhew, the vice president of marketing and communications for UW-Madison's alumni association, said the university should get credit for its efforts.
"You can't deny that drinking is part of the culture in Madison and Wisconsin," Porior-Mayhew said. "But the university is taking good steps to address it."