Okay, so it’s no secret: 4/20 in Boulder is quite a big deal. For those of you that don’t know, people all around the state of Colorado (and even the entire country, I over heard in the dining hall today) flock to Boulder to smoke the ganga on our campus. This year obviously was no exception. According to the Daily, this year set another record and we see this getting bigger and bigger on every year. My thoughts?
First of all, so you can understand my perspective…I don’t smoke. I never have and most likely never will. That being said, I don’t judge other people because of what they do as long as they aren’t harming other people. So it really doesn’t upset me when people smoke BUT, I’m not a fan of 4/20 at CU Boulder. My issue with this event stems mostly with the negative image CU already has. According to people who do not go here, we are students at a stuck up party school that enjoy doing little else than drinking and smoking. Sure, this can be seen as a great time and I know that a large percentage of undergraduates came here for that reason. However, this image is something we should be working to move away from because it does little more than devalue our degrees and makes people like me, who aren’t huge partiers look bad.
The thing that really pushed me over the edge and made me decide that blogging about this was absolutely necessary was an article in the Colorado Daily about it. The reporter obviously asked several students at the event what they thought. Shockingly not a single one had anything but positive comments about it. I don’t like how incredibly biased the article is. It offers one point of view from students and they all appear to be loving everything about today. What seems obvious to me, but apparently was not to the reporter is that everyone at the event will like it! Why else would they be there? A balanced article would have been written by a reporter willing to look further for people who maybe don’t love how this makes our school look. I really do not appreciate how only one side of the story was addressed.
Through all of this, I understand that 4/20 is considered a holiday by many people, not just in Boulder. I know that people indulge in pot on this day and I don’t have a problem with that. My suggestion however, is that it not be associated with our University. I don’t like the fact that perspective students can pull up countless videos of Norlin Quad on 4/20 on youtube before making their admission decision. I wish that this event could be moved somewhere else, like maybe Pearl Street. Still the event could be enjoyed by CU students and the Boulder community, but would be less associated with the University.
The Chancellor did a great job of addressing this exact issue in an email sent to all students. While the administration have tried several tactics in the past to discourage this event, this year they simply urged students to not participate, citing many of the same reasons I have. Awesomely, some kid wrote the Chancellor an email in response to this saying that he was offended by the email. The student states, “The tragedy of the e-mail that you sent out last week is that you have belittled, insulted and devalued a huge part of your student population.” Okay tragedy? Really? It’s tragic that the Chancellor sent an email urging students to not break the law? Get over yourself. See the entire response email here.
Students at CU Boulder are very short sighted on this issue and see only the idea of having fun with their friends on 4/20. But there is a lot more to it than that. Being offended at the urgency to not participate in such activities on our campus and associating such a thing with our school, and mindlessly enjoying smoking marijuana on 4/20 is all part of what spreads the bad rep this school has earned. And the only people who can change it are those that won’t even think of the repercussions of their actions.
I agree, I agree, I agree with everything that you said. Do I smoke? No. Do I care that other people smoke? Not really. Do I care that it makes our school look bad? Yes I do. When I list CU on my resume I don’t want people to automatically assume that I went to school solely to party and that I am a major pot head. We have better things to brag about than our weed.
OMG i can’t believe i totally forgot today (yesterday now) was 4/20!!! man i wish i went to boulder, then there would have been no way i could have forgotten about it AND i would have been able to smoke as much weed as i wanted to!!!
haha jk jk. i totally understand where you’re coming from and it sucks.
ps–”people like me, who aren’t huge partiers”
bahahahaha
I agree with you completely Kelsi.
I found a picture of CU-Boulder’s even on the huffingtonpost.com, a website that the entire world can see. And it wasn’t on a subsequent page, it was front page news. So, everyone in the world now knows (or knows even more about) the festivities that occur in Boulder.
I am afraid that as long as you have a student body more interested in inhaling rather than intaking knowledge, the university is destined to continue a self-perpetuating cycle of destroying its own image.
I know that there are students who do good things for the university. Why can’t we hear about them instead?
Hey Kelsi. I really liked your blog. You seem to provide a fairly unbiased perspective and back it up with some good logic. I ended up never going to CU Boulder (although it was my first choice) because of this very reason. I think your school has a lot of potential but people are taking it less and less serious every year.
this does not please grammarbear.
“Accoording to people who do not go here, we are students at a stuck up party school that enjoy doing little else than drinking and smoking.” who? and i mean regardless don’t most universities have a reputation for drinking and smoking? isn’t partying prevalent on most campuses across the country?
and the huge partiers comment is not very nice, it gives off a “holier than thou” vibe. very unfriendly dude. also you don’t need to be a HUGE partier to contribute to the party scene.
and there are a lot worse of things that make universities look bad. like hazing, rape, and deaths. a little bit of weed isn’t the problem.
a balanced article is a good article, if thats what they’re trying to convey… that article explicitly says that its reactions from participants and whether or not they feel they are making a statement. it was not an article on whether the general public feels that 4/20 in Boulder is having an impact. in fact it wasn’t really even an article it was simply testimonies from people that attended.
besides there is plenty of anti-legalization coverage out there as opposed to the only recently blooming of pro-legalization. anybody pro-weed has either been hushed in public or too timid to vocalize until these last few years, if that.
i think that there are a lot of mindless pot heads who go to Boulder simply to have fun on that day, but an event like this, with the numbers it generates and the attention that it gets, can’t be ignored by the higher ups, and shows the growing popularity of the issue. one that can’t be ignored for much longer.
Okay Cory. You want to have this talk? Lets do it.
I will start by understanding that you and I have very obviously different stances on this issue. But, this might have a lot to do with the fact that I attend CU and you do not.
Do you know what it’s like to have your closest friends and family look down upon you for going to a university with the reputation mine has? Probably not. It’s hard. People who know me well know the things I do and do not do and don’t judge me for it. However, there is a large number of people (like people we went to high school with) who decided to leave the state, go to CSU etc because they think that people who attend CU party excessively (yes, more than the average university and I strongly believe that people here party more frequently and harder and people else where for the most part), is full of rich kids, pot heads etc.
And I don’t know how much you know about the CU reputation, but we have a lot of the worse things that you mentioned on our record as well. Last semester several women were raped or were involved in attempted rape. This doesn’t look good. In fact it scared much of the female population so much so that we don’t feel safe walking anywhere at night. Hazing? Death? Yep, got that too. Gordie Baily, died while being hazed (the hazing element is arguable, but I personally believe he was hazed) one night at his fraternity. It’s something everyone on our campus knows about and most likely a lot of other people, even if you’re not one of them.
None of these things should make CU famous. Like Adam said, there are so many great things we could be known for instead, but this is what smells the strongest. Which is why I directly stated that I don’t really care that there is this event on 4/20. I care that it is associated with the place I go to school. I think it’s very understandable that I would not appreciate this statement coming from my school. The Boulder community can be as pro-active as pot legalization as they want. I just don’t want my university degraded because of it.
And maybe I misspoke and the piece in the Daily is not an article. Does it really matter? No. And yes, I understand that it’s asking people’s opinions. A balanced feature would have included opinions of people who are either anti-legalization (which by the way, I’m not. I actually pretty apathetic about the issue. I’m not sure legalization would be a bad thing, but at the same time, I have no personal stake in this because I don’t smoke so I’m sure you can understand why I don’t care that much), or anti-4/20 holiday at CU, like I am. Just because you feel there is too much anti-legalization coverage does not mean that it’s the Boulder newspaper’s responsibility to further spread bias in the other direction. Balancing corruption with corruption does not make it okay.
I’m just saying, this is one more thing I don’t think we need. Consider how you would feel if you went here and worried your degree would be tarnished because of the reputation of the university it’s from.
the mentions of death, rape and hazing were directed at your school. because of all things to be upset about, you chose marijuana and i understand that its pertinent. but if you’re gonna mention things tarnishing school reputations…it should be things that actually tarnish reputations. in ten years or whenever marijuana is legalized CU Boulder could be hailed as a visionary paving the way and instead of this event devaluing your school it could put it up in praise.
and yes Adam is correct in that there is plenty of good being done by your school. like your science program. you guys have some of the most incredible studies on your campus. you have a great journalism program. you used to be good at football. besides these i’m sure there are plenty of good samaritan stories within your campus. but i mean that goes for universities everywhere. and they do get acknowledged just not by the big news people because its definitely more common place than a gigantic gathering of people smoking weed in public. that doesn’t happen very often and is much more likely to grab attention.
and that article was written for a small Boulder-based publication. i mean it wasn’t a feature article or anything. it doesn’t need balance. how would you find the balance you’re looking for in a crowd like that?
and i mean it does matter that it wasn’t a legitimate article because it wasn’t the writers words or opinions. they were simply getting a snapshot of the day, in the form of participant testimony.
its not like it was reeking of bias anyway. sure they left out the other side, but in a thing that small, i don’t think it would’ve been necessary. also again i think anyone would’ve had a difficult time finding the other side at that event.
and anyone that is looking down at CU has some seriously re-evaluating to do. I’m sure most are in jest, but for the few that are serious, well …who would be? CU is a good school. and when all most people are looking for is a completed degree…regardless of origin i think CU is as good a degree as anywhere else. if not better. especially in your case since you’re getting such a good leg up on journalism education
anyway, yes your school is a notorious party school. but so are a ton of other universities. each of them has their own flaw.
i mean, argghhhh this is a tough thing. i kind of feel like i would rather CU have a reputation for being an insane place to go to for 4/20 rather than being a school known for hazing and death and stupid ridiculous parties that just get out of hand. at the 4/20 rally people don’t get hurt, they don’t riot, they don’t get arrested, they don’t get tickets. they sit on the grass and laugh. literally.
i don’t think the 4/20 reputation will necessarily discredit the university from being strong academically. i think it proves that people can peacefully come together in huge numbers and support an issue that they don’t think is a problem. i mean, it really does prove a huge point for people who are pro-legalization. there really isn’t any trouble that comes from it, so for that reason i don’t really mind it.
however, combined with the alcohol issues we have at CU Boulder, i think it’s not a good thing. usually when someone says party school, i assume it’s alcohol related. but Boulder is already associated with hippies and free spirits, so people connect marijuana to Boulder too. so these things combined make Boulder seem totally ridiculous.
but, i haven’t really gone to any other campuses (other than CSU) during a school semester, so i can’t really compare. i do think that A LOT of universities have these same issues and these same “party school” identities. the students at CU really do work very hard. i know that when the weekend comes around i want to do nothing but go out with my friends. and yes, drinking takes the edge off. i’m not saying it’s right, but that’s what works for me right now. i work damn hard, and i deserve a break. and that’s where the party school thing comes from. and i really think a lot of schools are like that.
i don’t think that your degree will ever be tarnished. i really don’t think people are going to be like, oh you went to CU, and then just disregard all the hard work you did to actually get a degree and the extra curriculars (i spelled this so wrong) you did to help yourself stand out. CU is a party school or whatever, yeah, but the university wouldn’t get continued funding for research if it wasn’t a top academic university also. the J School wouldn’t have CNN news anchors speaking at their graduation if it weren’t a school that’s considered competitive.
i understand the concern, but it’s not going to change. and i think it’s interesting to think of 4/20 in Boulder as paving the way for the legalization of marijuana. if/when it does get legalized, Boulder will definitely be seen as a place where it all began.
i mean, i didn’t participate because kids at this school talked about it for soooooooooo damn long that i was soooo over it. they totally ruined it for me. and okay, this is rude, but some people here sound so stupid when they talk about it that i just really didn’t want to associate myself with that. i feel like that about alcohol and parties sometimes too. but honestly, i think that’s just college. that’s just how people are now. it’s not easy to ignore when 4385847583508423758 people are sitting in norlin quad and you get a contact high just walking by the humanities building. and it’s not easy to ignore when 35284732847 drunk guys are singing third eye blind in the house across the street from you at midnight on a monday night. but it doesn’t last forever, and it’s not going to ruin your degree.
but i do like this entry and good for you for standing by how you feel!!
oops this is sooo long
I think you make good points Ash, and I agree with a lot of things you said. No, this isn’t going to change. And I know that. But it’s not going to stop me from disagreeing with it and being annoyed with the whole situation.
As far as people not judging you for going to CU, I’m not sure about that. CU will never be good enough for my mother. She judges me based on going here and I am related to her. She thinks it was dumb of me to choose to come here when it has the reputation it does. I hear about it literally every time we talk about my education. So to say that this assosiation does not affect our degrees is not quite true.
Also, one of my friend’s parents is so adamant about this that he constantly gives me shit for coming here making remakes such as, “CU is not a college. It’s a place where people go and hang out for four years, smoke weed and get drunk.” Both him and my mom have made me realize that while I do disagree with them, it’s a common theme and it’s not something we should embrace.
I don’t honestly think it’s going to stop me from getting a job. But people who attend this University do need to understand its reputation and the stigma attached to it. There are great things that go on here. But there is also a lot of stuff bringing negative attention, and we really don’t need this as something else.
And Core, you’re right that the snapshot of opinions isn’t a huge deal. It isn’t even an article or a serious piece. But, the coverage of the entire event by the Colorado Daily was biased, and this was just one part of it. When you read every article they write about something and they’re all one sided, it gets really old.
i agree! they should start covering some of the good things that we do here. because, i think there are more good things. especially since the partying thing has been around forever and isn’t changing. but the new, good things are frequent and consistently revamping the school and education. i think that if the media changed its focus, people would get it.
but i do think you should support your decision to come here. you know how rigorous it is, and you know that the partying shouldn’t define it. i bet you could find soooo many other schools that have this same thing going on. i bet serious money on drug problems at Harvard or Princeton or Yale. the difference is that they’re private schools and they have ivy league reputations. but don’t forget that it happens EVERYWHERE and just because you go here doesn’t mean your education should be defined by it. because i know how hard you work, and you shouldn’t feel otherwise
Just wanted to point out the fact that this 4/20 event has been going on before you chose to attend that university. If you are concerned about a tarnished degree as a result of this, you should’ve considered that when choosing CU-Boulder.
Perhaps instead of being upset by the stigma that is attached to you school you should have selected a school that lacks it. Complaining that 4/20 is tarnishing your school’s reputation is like complaining that the smell of the garbage dump you just moved into is tarnishing your house’s reputation. CU has always been a free-spirited school full of people who disregard established authoritative norms. Deal with it. I did and I’m loving every minute at CSU.
Makes a good point.
Every school has opportunities for its students to shine. You shouldn’t let your university define you—but rather be in a position to define your university.
When you’re applying for your first job (isn’t that the moment in time when your degree is the most valuable?), be sure your resume sells you, not your school’s reputation.
Easy fix.
word
I am afraid that thread jacking is occurring here…nevertheless…
I am not sure if this makes sense:
“Complaining that 4/20 is tarnishing your school’s reputation is like complaining that the smell of the garbage dump you just moved into is tarnishing your house’s reputation.”
The smell from the garbage dump IS tarnishing your home’s reputation since land value drops when you live closer to landfills, or areas with higher crime, drug use, etc…So in essence, you prove Kelsi’s point.
I think your point was to say that Kelsi has personal responsibility for her actions, and therefore could have made the conscious choice not to attend a university with such public displays of unlawful behavior. And this is logical and true. Kelsi, you can go to a university that does not have such prevalent behavior. My school didn’t have a public 4/20 on my campus, even though we are the most politically active and one of the most liberal campuses in the country. And I am sure there are others too.
Nevertheless, Kelsi still has a point. The use of marijuana, as I said before, is unlawful. And regardless of how you or I feel about legalization, it is still not appropriate on the campus of an institution of higher learning. Yes it will still happen, and maybe it should happen. But, its still a place of higher learning. A university is supposed to shape minds; and the university is trying to preserve this sentiment, as evident in the universities e-mail about the festivities.
People are allowed to make mistakes, and reflect upon their decisions. Which is possibly what Kelsi is doing–I don’t presume to know. She may also be trying to point out an incredible fallacy that is occurring among the youth in America. And as Ashleigh says, plenty of schools have these issues, and it is something that is, for better or worse, commonly accepted.
But, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t shine a light on it and possibly have an intelligent conversation.
no adam what he’s saying there is that the smell was there first so if you don’t want to smell shitty dump smell then don’t move there. the same as if you don’t like the traditions of a school/city then don’t go there.
Adam, you’re response lacks the intelligence required for it to be worth my time to refute.
Overall, ask the average person in your neighborhood what they think of when they hear University of Colorado Boulder. I’ll tell you what my neighbors and most of my family thought when I said I was going to CU, they thought “Party School.” A few years ago CU was ranked the #1 party school in the country. To me, that’s nothing to brag about. I even had someone ask me if I was majoring in partying.
When I tell people I attend CU I don’t want their first thought to be “those CU kids drink and smoke all the time.” I want them to think that I am getting a great education and am being challenged academically (which I feel I am on both accounts).
Basically, what I am trying to say is that I would rather our school get attention for its academics than its 4/20 festival. I went to 4/20 and you’re right, most people were just kicking back and chilling. No one was causing any trouble but when the media prints a story about 4/20 people automatically associate that with your party reputation.
I think CU is an outstanding school with outstanding students and professors. I just wish that we would be recognized for that and not for our celebration of 4/20.
“I know that there are students who do good things for the university. Why can’t we hear about them instead?” I don’t think you really thought this one through, or else you are just incredibly naive…
Of the 10,000+ participants gathered on the Norlin quad, I would venture to guess that more than half of them are students that “do good things for the university”, myself included. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the gathering was also attended by a number of professors, gardeners, janitors, and other members of the CU-Community that also do good things for the university. Just because someone smokes pot doesn’t mean that they can’t contribute good things to the school…
I don’t know how you can claim to carry on an “intelligent discussion” about the issue when one of your main premises is based on a personal opinion that is completely false, and quite frankly, extremely inconsiderate towards a large percentage of the student body…
and i think what some people forget or don’t realize is that CU is a public campus so its open to everyone. and that’s why the university can’t tell people that they’re not allowed to gather in the quad. but it’s definitely not a university supported thing. so in that way, i kind of feel like it’s unfair to label it was a CU thing.
and actually, a really large amount of people who go to norlin for 4/20 aren’t even students. people come from all over the country for it, and people who live in boulder but don’t go to school go there too. i think it’s important to remember that Boulder is pretty big, and the only people who live here and do things aren’t CU students.
but, if CU does want less of a party school image, this whole thing should move to a different place. it seems like norlin is the easiest cause it’s so huge and so many people go in and out of the CU campus. but, i still think it would be better if it was moved to somewhere else
Ok, I’ll bite.
I’m a tour guide at Mizzou. That said, I’ve spoken to thousands of potential students and parents over the past few years. These are often people who are also looking at CU—especially in the fields of biochemistry, journalism, and partying.
In the Big 12, Mizzou trails the Universities of Texas and Colorado in the number of federal research dollars awarded each year. A decade ago, Colorado’s margin over the #3 was massive, something to the tune of a couple hundred million a year. That margin has shrunk considerably now. I don’t have the specific numbers on me, but I’ve sat through enough presentations to remember the jist of it all.
Anyway, that’s all a long form of saying Colorado and Mizzou are in direct competition for students in search of a major research university. I run into these parents all of the time.
Yesterday on a tour I was asked about Boulder. There’s no hyperbole here, it’s exactly what was said. It’s definitely not an uncommon question on my tours:
“So, why didn’t you go to Boulder?”
“You know, after looking at my options, I just didn’t think it was for me. After seeing Mizzou I just loved it here and felt at home.”
“Too much of a party school, eh?”
…
And it went on from there. I can only defend CU so much. And I hope this isn’t coming across as a rah-rah-Mizzou piece, but it’s indicative of the challenge that CU faces in its image.
Saying it doesn’t hurt the reputation of a degree is bullshit. Remember that bosses, parents, and graduate school boards are full of idiots. They’re the same “idiots” who have formed their own biases for CU as a party school—like Kelsi’s neighbors. Those people exist, whether you like it or not.
I don’t think it’s ridiculous in any way for Kelsi to call for other students to take up the cause of fighting this negative image. Yes, Cory, perhaps in 10 years when pot is legal everyone will sigh and say ‘Oh, that Boulder, what visionaries they were!.’ More than likely, however, California’s going to steal the spotlight there.
But I don’t think there’s a single issue here, it’s a larger problem of the party image that needs to be addressed. Alcohol deaths, rapes, and 4/20 are all things that students and parents here taunt CU about.
Yes, major universities are known for partying. Universities in general are known for partying. But some are known to be the creme de la creme of keg stands, and Boulder happens to be one of those.
okay, a lot of what you said is understandable. but i really disagree when you say that my degree will do less for me than a degree from another school. even though some bosses may be idiots, they aren’t looking to hire the stigmatized majority of CU students. they’re hiring the individual.
as a CU student, i’ve learned that it’s not only about the degree you get, it’s about the extra curriculars, internships, and whatever else you have to support your degree. i learned early on in my classes at CU that i have to step outside the box and personally achieve more so than i can have an edge up in the competition. basically what i’m getting at is that you can get your degree from Mizzou and i can get mine at CU, but if i have a better resume than you, i should get the job (disregarding the fact that i’m a female and you’re a man, which gives you an unfair advantage, but that’s beside the point).
all of that seems like wise advice coming from professors and counselors at a party school…..
i am very much aware of CU’s reputation and i do think it’s unfortunate. and i do agree that we should try to move away from it more instead of adding to it. but, as a student here, i can’t help but be a little offended at the idea that i’m any less worthy of a job, or of respect as a student, because i go to CU. i made the choice to come here for my own personal reasons, and i think it’s extremely unfair for anyone to assume that the main reason or part of the reason why anyone goes to CU is to party.
i happen to know for a fact that the university has been working really hard to promote knowledge about the consequences of alcohol abuse. gordy bailey’s death was a big wake up call, and a lot has changed since then. 4/20 is one day. and i understand the repercussions of it because of the massive numbers of people who sit on campus and smoke pot, but it’s one day out of 365. anyone who dwells on that and judges our school solely for that purpose is being unfair.
i know a lot of people who go to other schools and they do literally the exact same things that i do socially, both during the week and on weekends.
while i agree that the 4/20 rally should be moved because it hurts our reputation further, i have to support my school. the CU students know better than anyone else how rigorous the work is here. it’s not easy. just because we have a party school reputation doesn’t mean that we take easy classes. i don’t see how you can be so sure that CU isn’t academically competitive because of its party reputation when you’re not a student here.
next time someone asks you about Boulder and suggests that its too much of a party school, i think you should think about people like kelsi, who work hard and don’t necessarily party allllll the time like everyone thinks, and support her in the best way you can. you may be a rival school, but you’re only adding to our problem and our stigma by furthering the idea that we’re a party school and not academically competitive.
quite honestly, i don’t think the party school reputation is going anywhere. but, CU is a “party school” that beats out Mizzou and other “academically known” institutions in terms of funding and enrollment numbers. so obviously, we’re doing something right. clearly we’re well rounded enough to do it all, and that’s not something i’m ashamed of, and as long as i’m a student here, i will support CU as best i can.
Whoa whoa, don’t take my words so personally. I never once said CU was an academically inferior school to any, including my beloved Mizzou.
I merely set out to give my perspective that I’ve gained as someone who deals daily with the impressionable people who keep your school chugging along its world-changing tracks. I thought it might be helpful for you to know that the reputation is alive across the nation—perhaps it’s even stronger the further you get from the school. As distance grows, understanding tends to decrease.
I also never said your degree would be worth less than another competitive institution. I merely said that people exist who will judge an applicant from CU based on the school’s reputation. You’d have to be an idiot to think otherwise.
Finally, if you had read my reply to another comment above, you’d see we’re in complete agreement about stepping outside the box and making your education work for you.
And I don’t think it’s my job to be defending your school when I’m asked about the student climate there. I give my honest opinion and I don’t think I’m obligated to do much more. Most often, I do defend CU—to a point of course. Mizzou’s the one paying my bills, after all
Saying it doesn’t hurt the reputation of a degree is bullshit
…you said that.
and i know i said that i don’t think a party school reputation is going to influence the way my degree is seen or make it hard for me to get a job. so i did take offense to that.
“I merely said that people exist who will judge an applicant from CU based on the school’s reputation. You’d have to be an idiot to think otherwise”
in your opinion, i’m an idiot. because i have never heard of this being an issue. and i don’t see it being an issue either. we also have a reputation of being a strong academic university with a competitive journalism school. i worked hard to get into the journalism school and i am proud of the fact that i was accepted because i know it’s not an easy feat here at CU. i think that job bosses will consider that before anything else.
and in saying that someone would judge specifically a CU student differently does imply that CU is somehow academically inferior and not worthy of the same kind of respect of any other state school.
i am totally and completely aware of the reputation. but, i think it’s important to let you and anyone else who is so hung up on the party school thing that you’re wrong. that’s not CU’s only defining quality. and i think that many CU students would be personally offended by the idea that our degrees will not be taken seriously simply because we go to CU.
it wouldn’t be a negative image if people dumped their fear of drugs ruining this country. look at all the countries with lax drug laws. in portugal, drugs are legal to possess and they have less people there that have tried marijuana than people in the U.S. have tried cocaine.
but regardless, yeah california would be in the center but i hardly think they would take all of the light. boulder would be right behind them getting plenty of recognition.
also double regardless, tony i have no idea who or what you’re defending. on your last point, no one is saying CU isn’t a party school. no one is saying they aren’t a big party school.
furthermore, everyone has biases and you can’t let them drag you down. if they don’t like you because of what school you went to, either show them that their bias is misplaced or tell them to fuck off and try a different job. you can’t use an excuse like someones bias as an excuse for why you can’t get a job. i mean i’m sure some people are gonna think less of my journalism degree from CSU as opposed to a degree from either MU or CU but those are the kind of obstacles that we are gonna face regardless of what school we went from. its always not gonna be good enough for somebody, its our job to prove them wrong.
so to sum up my transition heavy response, yeah, kelsi like ashleigh said, don’t let shit like this worry you too much.
well i mean, i do agree that the marijuana thing does less to hurt our image than the alcohol related issues. if people were trashing norlin and rioting and killing people over the right to smoke weed, then we’d have a problem. but i don’t see it as partying when everyone is too high to even move. the worst thing that happened that day was that the kid climbed too high in the tree.
And Cory, when you go across the country and remove the bad image of drugs, then we can talk. Good luck with that one. Until then, my point is still legitimate, and you just proved it.
Ashleigh, you know that because you’re here. What do people hear about? The CU students (I don’t care if a lot of them are not students here, it’s assumed by a lot of people that they are because of the fact that it takes place on campus) all getting high in front of the library. Just because you don’t think it should hurt the image, it does. The sooner you at least acknowledge this, the better prepared you will be to tell everyone they are wrong.
i do acknowledge that. as a matter of fact, i said previously that i do think it should be moved off campus because of what other people think of it, regardless of whether or not i agree.
i am not insulting or disregarding your opinion. i just don’t agree…i think i will stop talking about this now because suddenly i am feeling hostility
likewise!
yeesh!
No. Drugs are ruining this country. They need to be kept off the streets and not condoned. Yesterday, a close family friend of mine, who was only 19, died of a drug overdose. And you’re going to tell me that drugs don’t ruin lives? Rethink that one.
Cory, my point about universities across the country being known for partying was in response to Ashleigh’s claim that partying happens at all schools.
I was agreeing that yes, partying happens. But I was making the claim that partying happens to a much greater extent at CU.
This is getting pretty intense. And I think maybe I should remind the people involved of what the point of this entire argument is really about:
My hang up on this whole thing is to remind people that events like 4/20 do not help our already bad image. And I wish that people would at least consider the repercussions of these actions. Which yes Ashleigh, include us being less well received by possible employers because of the reputation our school has. I’m not saying I think it’s right. But I am saying that it exists. I get this kind of feedback from people all the time and yeah, we need to be prepared for the fact that we will be judged based off the widespread reputation of our university.
At the same time, what Tony said is right. There is no reason we should let this define us as individuals. Build your resume with experiences related to the field you hope to be a part of and let your work ethic shine through more than the reputation of your school and hope for the best.
And to the people who mentioned that I should have chosen where to go to school more wisely; you are completely right. I sometimes dislike going to school here and being in Boulder at all. There are a lot of things that go on here that I don’t like and sometimes I’m just not sure I fit in here. But, I couldn’t afford to go out of state, which is what I wanted the most. So, when deciding which major in-state public university to go to, I chose CU based on its accredited journalism program. Unfortunately for myself, I didn’t consider the other elements that could affect the quality of my education.
But honestly, this is where I am and this is what I’m doing. And yeah Mike, I’m dealing with it. I simply wanted to call attention to the fact that I don’t think the 4/20 celebration is doing any of us any favors and possibly urge people to at least think about it for the reasons I listed in my original post.
i’m not trying to be argumentative by asking this, i am just curious because this is the first time i’ve heard of anyone being treated differently because of a CU degree. do you know anyone who has had trouble getting a job or anything because they had a CU degree?
i just really wasn’t aware that this really happens
and all i’m trying to do is defend the school we go to a little. i know there are problems with it, but we go here. it’s harder to get rid of the party school image than it is to promote the good things. and i think it’s important to mention those things
Specific people being turned down? No.
But, the man I mentioned earlier who says that CU is not a real university has told me he strongly judges people who go here. And he doesn’t really hide his judgments based on the comments he makes to me regularly. He is a business owner, in charge of hiring all employees that work under him.
Also, my mother used to work with the public and when selling houses, used to tell her clients about her daughters. She told me several instances of people turning up their noses when she mentioned I attend CU. It’s a common theme among people to dislike our school for various reasons. And while I can’t name a specific person who has been affected by this (how would they even know? a lot of employers do not cite reasons for choosing one candidate over another), the judgment is there and the consequences can fall into place.
But again, here I go back to the idea of building your resume in order to get people to look beyond the negative image. And again, not everyone sees this. Some people think CU is great and in which case, the image is a non-issue.
Also, I do appreciate you defending our school. I go here too and I know very well that a lot of good things happen here. I do believe that in a lot of ways, this is a great school. And yeah, promoting the things that we are proud of is a great way to make us look better, which is exactly what I am all about.
i understand the concern. but, i also know a business owner who is willing to hire me for an internship. and i go to CU. i think there is a positive to every negative, and i think that you would be surprised at how many more people will be willing to hire you than not because you got a degree from CU. i feel like the people who really represent the party school side of the university don’t end up graduating. a college degree is an impressive feat in any way. and personally, for me at least, i think that someone acting like my school isn’t a real university or like it’s not as good because it’s a “party school” is an insult to my education. and i am really not okay with that notion. and i would personally defend my education to anyone who thinks otherwise. because i know how hard it is.
i don’t know, maybe i’m just too much of an optimist. but, right now i’m working on essays so i can graduate from this university, and if i believe that someone is going to question my degree because kids here like to party and unwind, then all of it will seem worthless. and i’ve worked too hard already to let that go to waste.
and kels, i’m not arguing against you. i just don’t think you should let that worry you so much. i really, really don’t. your voice, your achievements, your determination, AND your degree will get you just as far, if not farther than anyone and everyone else. really. i know. and in a few years when we’re living in california and we both have really awesome jobs and are doing everything we’ve ever dreamed of, you will see.
Oh yeah, I know tons of people are willing to hire us. Or else I wouldn’t be here at all because what would make my entire education pointless. And you can bet I defend myself and our school, but it’s tiresome and I really wish I didn’t have to do it. Also, sometimes, when I’m just a name of a piece of paper, I won’t get a chance to defend myself at all. Which is again why I just want people to think about these things.
And don’t get me wrong, I’m not losing sleep about this at night. I just simply provided a commentary about an event that occurs annually and the things it means to students. I will go far and I will do great things with my life and with my career and all of this is realized, I’m just taking other things into account, as I feel many people should.
also way to go ashleigh. i’m quite impressed by your arguement. i give you a gold star!
oh, thanks! but who are you?
A few more things…
I don’t think anyone who has posted in this thread thinks CU is not academically competitive or strong academically. The point is that because of the reputation, it is possible for people to not even take the time to think of our strong academics and instead jump conclusions about us as individuals and our reasons for going to CU. Unfortunate, but it happens.
At the same time, it really depends on who you talk to. There are people out there who believe strongly in the value of our education here at CU and will hire us based solely on that fact. I work at the Career Services Center here and there is an entire database of employers looking to hire specifically CU grads, which is great. But there are also people out there who do not want to hire people from here because of several reasons (the party reputation, what some consider a biased liberal education, the disregard for societal norms etc) and regardless of if they are right or wrong in believing these things…they are the ones with jobs to allocate. And at the end of the day, what matters is that we get hired and have jobs. So appealing to the “dumb” people who do not like our reputation is not a bad idea considering they are the ones who will hopefully pay our bills some day.
[Obviously] I couldn’t have said it better. ¡Bueno!
i feel like this discussion/argument has become incredibly skewed and we’re all slowly gravitating toward the super-ultra-happy ending. because we’re all starting to argue the same points.
FINDING A CONSENSUS IS TERRIBLE!!!!
ARGUE MORE!
well, i don’t know about that cor cor. i still don’t think that the party school thing is going to make a degree seem less legitimate. i can see someone being like, oh CU, i bet you had fun there…like as a kind of joke. but in any other context it would be like discrimination. and they can’t do that. and if someone did i would open my big mouth and go off on that person for real.
but i really don’t think that will happen
Why do you continue to ignore that people don’t always say this jokingly and that there are people out there who doubt the legitimacy of going here? I’m not making these conversations up…
because i don’t agree. i don’t think that’s a real problem. i can easily say you’re ignoring the conversations that i’ve had with people that prove my point to be correct. but i’m not…
hahahahah my thoughts exactly tony! hahahha
Cory, why are you two people?
You are all insane. Who gives a dick if the school participates in some celebration one day out of the year? Does it tarnish your school’s reputation? No. Was it a pre-existing condition to your enrollment there? YES! So stop bitching about it because if you felt this strongly about it you would have avoided it in the first place. And what I’m guessing is you didn’t because CU IS A GOOD SCHOOL. So you full well knowingly accepted whatever small print may accompany a 4 year stay at CU in exchange for the fact that YOU KNOW IT WILL GET YOU SOMEWHERE. Your degree is much better than one from CSU or UNC and no employer in their right mind will look at your resume and think to himself “Oh man they smoke a lotta pot there one day out of the year…that’s illegal and being illegal is not good. BAN HAMMER to this resume!” What kind of jaded fag hag society would we be living in if that were the case? And guess what you may have sparked discussion with this blog but ultimately you have accomplished nothing. And at the end of the day be happy knowing that your resume and degree will still land you a job wherever you want to be. Show me some goddamn empirical evidence that degrees/resumes from CU are looked at with disdain…..and maybe I’ll take back one of my statements.
^^^^^Fact
All that you are doing is complaining about something that you had knowledge of before you went to school there. If you didnt want the “association” that you get with your “degree” (which in reality is total bull anyways) then maybe you could have picked one of the other thousands of schools that are out there.