As a born and raised Pennsylvanian, I can safely say that the word “partying”has been synonymous with “Penn State” ever since I was old enough to understand the significance of what it meant to “party.” As we all know, my university has a party-school reputation and the 241 citations issued by police last year at the 2010 State Patty’s Day proves it. But, out of the 241 citations, 150 of those citations were given to non-students of Penn State. This fact brings me to the dilemma that concerns the administration of PSU, that non-students come to Penn State “to take advantage of our hospitality, our sense of community and our party-school reputation,” (The Daily Collegian Online). I personally know that people come to the student created State Patty’s Day to binge drink because I have received many phone calls, texts and Facebook messages asking if a friend or a friend of a friend could stay with me (a.k.a. drink with me and my friends) on State Patty’s Day. I agree with the article when they say that the outsiders are “contributing to our party-school standing.” As a matter of fact this year one of my friends came to visit me and left the next morning crying with a nice souvenir for her parents. Can you guess what this souvenir was? A citation for underage drinking. People come to Penn State expecting to have a good time and naturally we give it to them. Is this a problem? Yes, but that does not mean I won’t support the event on February 26 in order to prevent the visitors from wreaking havoc. State Patty’s Day can be a safe and fun holiday for everyone if visitors learn to safely celebrate OUR holiday.
"Shirt Sends the Wrong Message." The Daily Collegian Online. 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/01/19/shirt_sends_the_wrong_message.aspx>.
I encountered the same thought when I first visited the fast food restaurant "Are U Hungry?" last semester. I mean, if you're familiar with the restaurant, no concerns. But if not, their menu-listed-shirts might send a wrong message to the public.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I just want to say that this is a great idea for a blog! The Collegian publishes a lot of interesting articles, and it's always nice to have an outlet for discussion about the... more unique ones.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your comments about visitors escalating Penn State's party reputation and I think that this is a very well written post, but you kind of detract from the article you originally are writing about. From what I can tell, the article discusses the relationship between sexual acts and drinking, not the issue of "outsiders" coming to celebrate State Patty's Day. Still, you bring up some good points and outside friends should learn to party more responsibly (if that isn't an oxymoron).
I'm glad that you responded to that article. It really annoyed me when I saw it in the Daily Collegian. I do believe that Penn State students drink responsibly for the most part, and the university needs to stop constantly complaining about the party culture of Penn State. It's probably what gets them so many applicants in the first place.
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