Penn State students will find out today if the university is still the reigning No. 1 party school in the nation or if it has fallen a few spots.
Last year, the Princeton Review ranked the university as the No. 1 party school in the nation — a title many students were proud to hold and the administration downplayed.
But some student leaders are saying there is no way that Penn State will top the charts again.
Interfraternity Council President Max Wendkos said he is convinced that Penn State has dropped some spots. But whatever the ranking is, students will not have as big of a reaction as last year.
“There are enough students that learned that ranking was more of a curse than a gift,” Wendkos (senior-marketing and psychology) said.
Other student leaders said some students will react strongly if Penn State loses its crown.
University Park Undergraduate Association President Christian Ragland said the university is in a “transition” process.
Several incidents, like Joe Dado’s death, increased reports of sexual assault and an increased alcohol-related incidents on State Patty’s Day may have led students to come to the realization that the partying image needs to change.
Dado, a then-18-year-old freshman from Latrobe, Pa., was found dead in a stairwell on September 21, more than a day after he was reported missing after drinking at an on-campus fraternity.
Ragland (senior-political science) said he thinks these incidents may have changed students’ acceptance of the partying image.
Freshmen and sophomores will probably be the most disappointed if Penn State doesn’t make the No. 1 slot, Ragland said. But he thinks older students realize the importance of increasing safety on campus.
The administration thinks said students and media put “way too much emphasis” on the rankings, university spokesperson Annmarie Mountz said. She said it doesn’t matter whether the review ranks Penn State in a positive light or not — they are just unscientific polls of students.
“They’re not scientific rankings,” Mountz said. “They have no merit.”
But some students felt the rankings had merit — Facebook groups and T-shirts appeared shortly after the rankings were announced, boasting of the No. 1 party school status.
Last year, Penn State garnered several other top three rankings: No. 1 in “Lots of Beer” and “Students Pack the Stadium,” No. 2 in “Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid” and No. 3 in “Best Athletic Facilities,” “Major Frat and Sorority Scene” and “Jock Schools.”
Surveys — which were completed by college students and then analyzed by the Princeton Review — also ranked the university as No. 6 in “Best College Newspapers,” “Best Career Services” and “Everyone Plays Intercollegiate Sports.”