There's nothing new here: true, it may be the first time princeton review has labeled us #1 party school, but other list-makers have certainly done so over the years. Heck, when I was in high school (1997-2001) I had a biology teacher who had attended OHIO (roughly speaking) in the late 80s/early 80s. He told us (quite proudly, I'll add) that at the time, Playboy magazine added a footnote to their annual party school ranking stating "Sorry OHIO U., we don't rate professionals". Now, I've never seen documentary evidence of this, but it does demostrate that the preception is nothing new.

There are worse ways for a university to make national (international in this case) news: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2021317/UNVA-chancellor-David-Lee-64-sadomasochistic-suburban-sex-dungeon-master.html

I'd like to give Ryan Lombardi a noogie right now. I have said this year after year - "YOU DO NOT RUN FROM THIS - YOU EMBRACE IT."

Employers want well rounded prospects who can intelligently discuss a variety of topics. OU grads have "IT." I firmly believe "IT" comes from some of the aspects that encompass this #1 party school ranking.

On a day where the country's economy is on the brink of collapse due to right wing, bible thumping nut jobs and an incredibly weak President (wanna argue this? I'll win) - we garnered good natured publicity from EVERY SINGLE national media outlet.  Scott Van Pelt - Check. Jay Bilas - Check. Dan Wetzel - Check. Wall Street Journal - Check. Financial Times - Check. NY Times - Check. Reuters - Check. That is UNBEATABLE publicity!! Unless some Jabroni at Clippinger is ahead of the Large Hedron Collider on the god particle (yep), I'm pretty sure there's no academic accomplishment that would garner headlines like these.

Selfishly, I want quality, out of state kids looking at Ohio University as their choice of school. If this #1 ranking increases applications from out of state and we hold to academic standards which protect the integrity of an Ohio degree...I see absolutely nothing wrong with being the best in the land on the booze circuit.

Secondarily, when you find yourself in competition with kids from Harvard, Northwestern, Cornell, etc (as I have in my career) - you better have something in your column that sets you apart, and let's be honest, it's not going to be your academic credentials. For me, it was always my ability to discuss a wide variety of topics with the perfect mix of real knowledge, educated questioning, and a little sprinkle of BS. I know for a fact I learned how to socialize and interact as a compliment to my academic record during my four years at OU. Note to Ryan Lombardi, no matter what you try and teach in Morton 201 - YOU CAN'T TEACH SKILLS LIKE THAT.

We've increased enrollment over the past few years - that's a McDavis issue. As long as we stick to a rigid set of academic standards for entry, the kids we produce will take care of themselves. I firmly believe that. If we lower our standards, then we'll put out crappy kids. Simple as that. Pawpurrs, Goodfellas, and Meigs County Gold aren't going to make or break our graduates.

for a little perspective- remember last spring when there were mutliple national articles published about Fiami sororities gone wild, including one where they literally sh*t on the Underground Railroad museum?

I'll take a light hearted top 10 list that's viewed by most with the same sincerity as a weather forecast from Puxatawny Phil over those groteseque, detailed accounts of douchebaggery anyday.



http://gawker.com/5547484/sorority-girls-drunkenly-trashed-underground-railroad-museum
http://deadspin.com/5534166/miami-university-had-the-pukiest-poopiest-sexiest-spring-formal-ever

Sorry, I disagree!  That said, OSU and their football program, should "embrace" all the publicity they have received re: Tatoo Gate!  It's bad publicity for the university, plain and simple.  It's also costing the university many dollars in lost revenue due to lost students.  I believe each student makes their own choice as to what their social life should be in college, but if we don't get them to Athens first, we have lost.  How many "quality" students have we lost out on due to this kind of publicity?  I've been haunted for years.

I am speaking from a parent's view.......child #1 OSU grad, child #2 prestigious private school grad, child # 3 attends Ohio.  As you can see....three very different schools, three very different children.  We looked at many schools. Yes, we were quite aware of the "party school" reputation. No, we didn't like the title.  We took our visit with an open mind.  We loved the campus.  The time spent talking with professors and student guides sold us on this school!  Parents wanting what is best for their children will not let the party school reputation stand in the way.  My job was to raise my children with the ability to make wise decisions, not to shield them from the "evils" in the world. Child #3 will graduate spring, 2012 with a degree in engineering.  He will tell anyone what a great education he is getting.  He enjoys all the student activities and has become very involved in multiple campus organizations. During the past three years, I have watched him become a well rounded young man that will enter the work force  as a competent, productive asset to society. He even encouraged his parents to experience Halloween in Athens.  We did so last year.  We witnessed for ourselves thousands of students having a great time,  We saw nothing that made us wish our son attended another university. Loving where you attend school makes the difference in classroom success, and at times, whether they even obtain a degree. Too many parents insist on the "ideal" school for their kids.  Kid hates where he's at, kid drops out. Nothing accomplished.  Ohio University has nothing to worry about!

Quick story (well as quick as I can make it)...

A couple years ago my Daughter found a $20 on the floor in B-Dubs before a game...We handed it to the Manager who gave it back to her before we left saying no one had come back to claim it.  Fast forward to the game...We're watching from the hill in the 4th quarter (as the kids always like to do) and she's been begging to buy a football with it all day.  Thing is she wanted one of the little ones they chuck into the crowd rather than one from the stand.  There was a large group of students on the hill as well and they'd been playing catch with a few of them throughout the game.  I sent her over to one of them to offer to buy it with the $20 (we all know these kids need it much more right now than her piggy bank does) and they immediately gave her the ball and refused to take her money.  She comes back all smiles and explains this to me so I walked back over and insisted they take the $$...They all said something along the lines of "she'll have a lot more fun with that ball than we would"...It honestly wasn't easy but they finally agreed to take it and I'm quite sure it went to beer!

Point is, they're not "fake" by any stretch of the imagination.  Certain kinds of kids are drawn to the kind of environment that Ohio provides and that's the underlying reason they all get a gleam in their eye 20 years later when talking about their experiences there.

Being upset at our party school ranking is laughable, first off for most current and former OU students its kind of a badge of honor.  This includes my current boss who is in an OU alum from the 70s.   Also how many times have you met someone (especially outside of Ohio) that wasn't aware that OHIO University wasn't a part of tOSU.  As much as a negative this can be seen as, it also helps make people aware of our semi-remote school.  Plus we also get this ranking not because we drink that much more than other schools of similar size or that much more crazy, its because we throw a hell of a Halloween party, having an amazing spring full of fests, and have a pretty nice bar scene.  My wife went to Capital University, let me tell you they partied just as much in the dorms as OU students and if they weren't there they were on tOSU's campus partying with high school friends attending OSU.

I understand the negatives of this ranking but I'd rather be a school people know about than a school no one knows of until they get a mailing from the school among all the other tens of hundreds a kid is already getting.

Love nailed it.  A successful life has balance.  I learned how to work hard and play hard during my four years in Athens.  I live my life now by the same standards that I did in college.  Work harder than anyone else, do it with integrity and honor, and make each day fun.  I have built a strong business based 50/50 on my specialized professional skills and my ability to engage in meaningful, trusting relationships.  Some of those skills were refined in Copeland Hall.  Some were refined in Grover Center and Court Street.  I met my two largest clients at a poker game and a charity golf tournament.  I needed the technical skills for every meeting after the first, but the initial contact was made over a Sapphire and tonic each time. 

SBH and others may be correct about folks checking OU off their list because of this, but frankly it does not bother me that much.  Those types will do just fine at Cedarville or Cuyahoga Community College.  Mommy can check on them 4 times a day and know that their fragile offspring are excelling academically.  That way they'll have a strong bond when they graduate and move back into their parent's house because they are socially inept and cannot find a job.   

This must be a classic issue to divide us by political party and by life outlook.

Those of you who are worked up about the negative of this seem to lack a sense of humor and/or a zest for life.  This is just not a big deal.  It's not news--ya didn't know we had a party school reputation?!  And, as so many here have said, this is about personal responsibility and a well-rounded education.

If you disagree, okay.  But it's hardly the end of the world.

For the rest of the world, it's already forgotten in this day of light speed news cycle.

Ohio University seems to draw and produce inherently cool, well-rounded individuals. But even if you're not one of those people, it's a great place.

I'm probably about the squarest, most socially inept person who has ever enrolled at Ohio. But it still was a place that had great value to me, gave me a great education and engendered in me a deep love for it. I loved the freedom it gave everyone. Even someone like me who didn't take full advantage of it.

The great thing about a place like Ohio is it allows people to be themselves. That's a place that produces creative, talented people.

If someone judges a university on a blurb on the AP Wire and doesn't investigate what Athens actually is, they probably don't belong in Athens.

I'll freely admit that it can get somewhat tiresome when "party school, huh?" is one of the first questions a client or prospect might ask me. That said, it's never kept me from winning a job. Besides, Love and others here have made some excellent points about the triviality of this designation, its odd benefits, and the stupidity of basing a school choice on any Princeton Review rankings. Most of the people who denigrate Ohio for its reputation have either never been to Athens or came only to raise hell while escaping the stultifying tedium of life in Oxford, Columbus, Kent, Boring Green, etc.