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Wisconsin drops from party ranks

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by Pedro Oliveira Jr.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Only two years after being named the top party school in the nation, the University of Wisconsin has fallen out of the Princeton Review's top 20 party schools rankings altogether.

University officials expressed satisfaction with the results and said the rankings have no effect on academics, calling the rankings deceiving and unscientific.

"I have no idea how those rankings are put together or if any actual data is used," UW Provost Patrick Farrell said. "I appreciate that our students know how to enjoy themselves, but I don't want them to come here for that reason."

Dean of Students Lori Berquam said she is pleased with UW's exclusion from the rankings in this year's reviews because the rankings tend to wrongly depict the school and promote prejudgment.

University Health Services Director of Prevention Susan Crowley, who deals with alcohol-related problems on campus, said many rankings are subjective and unscientific, and hardly affect the institution.

According to Crowley, there was no correlation between the result of previous years' rankings and behavior on campus.

"This campus still has a significant alcohol issue, but I think that we're working fairly aggressively and looking for ways to minimize that," she said.

Despite being left off the top party school list, UW managed to land itself on another list of the 25 “hottest” campuses in the nation, a title better received by administrators.

"We are hot because students are engaged to learn and make a difference in the world," Berquam said. "We're committed to things like activism, volunteering and leadership, and our students believe that what they do matters."

The guide "How to Get Into College," published yearly by Kaplan and Newsweek, branded UW as the nation's hottest big state school due to strong academics and a strong feeling of community among students.

"The university has a formidable record in science, ranking fourth among U.S. research universities in total research and development expenditures," the guide says. "But it is the old traditions and favorite campus locations that stick with its graduates."

Kaplan representatives said the guide is based on research, but should not be considered the only way to evaluate a university.

According to Jason Palmer, one of the guide's contributing editors, a large number of students mentioned the numerous campus organizations, Greek life and friendly students as great reasons to attend UW.

"Madison is a progressive, hip city, and students felt they could be strong academically while still having a social life," Palmer said.

He added UW has the second largest amount of grant funds awarded to professors, just behind Harvard University.

The guide results are determined by a combination of research and interviews with hundreds of admissions experts, and prospective and current students.

The publication also named Princeton University "hottest for liberal arts," Centenary College of Louisiana "hottest liberal arts school you never heard of" and Harvard University "hottest for rejecting you."

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