We Are....

Boys running down the street with a stop sign, girls peeing in a stranger’s front lawn, and a 21 year old getting wasted on her birthday – all collegiate “crimes” cited by the “This American Life” podcast. This podcast was published online in 2009 when Penn State was ranked the #1 party school by the Princeton Review (which is based solely on online surveys submitted by college students-loss of credibility anyone?), and now that Penn State does not hold this title, these events are still happening, and just as frequently. Plus, these are all common occurrences that could be seen on any campus, not just at Penn State. Don’t get me wrong; I am not supportive of these behaviors. I just felt like the interviewers were being extremely unfair seeing that college age students all over the country participate in the same social activities as Penn State students.

First of all, the interviewers lost credibility when they made hypocritical statements. In the very beginning, two interviewers observe intoxicated students stumbling along to their various destinations at one a.m. on a weekend. After making fun of them, and even scolding some, the interviewers nostalgically admit that they, too, “acted like this” when they were in college. Even Nancy Updike admits that she “would have used a drunk button in college.” On the other side, it helped the interviewers’ credibility to interview Graham Spanier, Penn State alumni, and to use concrete statistics about student alcohol use. Also, the interviewers included positive aspects about life at Penn State, like how everyone absolutely loves it. The podcast ends with the “We are….Penn State” chant, touching on the unparalleled school spirit and pride that all Penn Staters feel.

The logos in this podcast was very effective. One statement was particularly hard-hitting – the fact that on Friday and Saturday night, 75% of Penn State students drink. This value is equal to 30,000 people. Considering the amount of underage students included in that number, this is obviously a concern. Also, statistics were given on the consequences of such high levels of binge drinking. It was mentioned that ¼ of students have been behind on schoolwork or missed class, 15% have been involved in a physical altercation or assault, and 7% have been in an unwanted sexual experience due to a night of heavy drinking. These statistics and facts are a wake-up call – these numbers remind people that these issues are all too real.

             

Personally, I felt defensive while listening to this podcast. The interviewers were sometimes very condescending and unmindful with their word choice. An example of a statement that made me angry was when a male interviewer stated, “there are crimes that you never hear of unless you live in a place like State College.” Keep in mind that later in the podcast it is said that State College is the safest metropolitan area, and this same interviewer said that he “acted like this” when he was in college. This statement would cause a negative shift in the pathos of Penn Staters listening to the podcast because it makes our beloved college town seem dangerous and overrun with criminals, which is not the case.

             

Many issues of definition are at stake here, from a small to large scale. The podcast touches on college vernacular terms, like “frackets” (old jackets to wear to frat parties) and “Natty” (aka Natural Light beer, popular at Penn State because of its extremely low cost). On the larger scale side, and also a much more serious topic, is how the podcast attempts to define Penn State as a whole. The major theme that I got from the podcast was that PSU was a prideful, treasured university with a time-hardened, traditional drinking and partying issue. Sure, that is debatable seeing that a lot of students take pride in Penn State’s party school reputation and that die-hard football fans have been tailgating before games for decades. But, it should also be taken into account that Penn State has a prestigious academic reputation as well and the largest alumni network in the country. The bottom line is that college students are young adults with brand-new freedoms, trying to find a balance in living on their own for the first time. They’re going to make a few mistakes during the learning process. How my generation of college students is different from any other generation, and how Penn State students are different from the students at any other university or college, I’m not sure.

             

Overall, I do not think that this podcast depicted an accurate portrayal of Penn State University as a whole. There is a significant portion of the population of students that do not participate in “binge” drinking or drinking of any kind that were not interviewed or mentioned at all. And I, as a student with a fun social life, did not agree with all of the stereotypes that the podcast relentlessly hit on – I cannot say that I “got slutty” when I came here like one female student admitted, and no one that I know would ever physically injure a pizza delivery guy, or anyone for that matter. I could not be happier with my decision to come to Penn State, despite the negative connotations that are sometimes tied to the school. In 70 years, you’ll be sure to find me decaying in a nursing home somewhere, hollering, “We are…Penn State” until the day I die.

P.S. If you're dumb enough to live next door to a frat house, I don't want to hear your complaints!!!