Pubdate: Mon, 02 Aug 2010
Source: Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)
Copyright: 2010 The Daily Camera.
Contact:  http://www.dailycamera.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/103
Author: Brittany Anas

PRINCETON REVIEW: CU-BOULDER SLIPS TO NO. 6 ON 'REEFER
MADNESS' LIST

Campus Also Ranks No. 13 For Hard Liquor, No. 16 Party School

The University of Colorado's Boulder campus slipped a notch in the
"Reefer Madness" ranking from the Princeton Review this year, coming
in at No. 6 on the 2010 list, which was unveiled Monday.

Students on the Boulder campus have been behaving slightly better,
according to the latest round of ratings.

The Boulder campus this year also ranked No. 13 for "Lots of Hard
Liquor" and No. 16 for top "Party Schools." Last year, CU ranked No.
11 for "Lots of Hard Liquor" and "Party Schools."

CU also ranked No. 16 for "Great College Town" this time
around.

The Princeton Review -- a test prep company that has no affiliation
with Princeton University -- asked 122,000 students at 373 top
colleges to rate their schools on dozens of topics and report on their
campus experiences. The Princeton Review evaluates everything from
campus cafeterias to student political leanings.

The company crowned the University of Georgia as the top party school
this year, and the University of California's Santa Cruz campus topped
the "Reefer Madness" list.

In a letter sent to reporters last week, CU President Bruce Benson
raised concerns about the validity of the findings from the Princeton
Review, claiming the lists are based on anecdotes and rely too heavily
on student perception.

Hollene Hongdoxmai, a junior at CU, said the "Reefer Madness" label is
appropriate, given the annual 4/20 gathering that draws thousands to
smoke pot on Norlin Quad and the number of medical marijuana
dispensaries in Boulder.

"There's a lot of weed, and a lot of access to it," she
said.

But she said she thinks incoming CU students are incorrectly under the
impression that the university, overall, is a party school. To
determine which schools are on the party list, the Princeton Review
asks students how much they drink, how big of a presence Greek life
has on the campus and how often they study.

Cliff Min, who is studying integrative physiology, said the rankings
about weed and alcohol perpetuate themselves.

"It belittles my education," he said.

Min said his schedule is loaded with chemistry and physics courses,
and, he said, he's surrounded by students who value education as much
as he does. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D