samiamy

Johnson: The other housing crisis - Opinion

Students at UMD could you give an opinion?

erad

It's true that with our current housing situation a lot of freshmen are forced to live in places like Leonardtown and other apartment-style suites on the outskirts of campus. Whether this lends itself to outrageous drunken behavior...well, I'm not really sure. I live in the dorms on North Campus and I can honestly say that I've been witness to some crazy, alcohol-induced behavior. The reality of attending a party-school like Maryland (although it has become less so in recent years), is that students, whether they drink or not, are going to encounter insane, illegal, and often times dangerous behavior. Last weekend a group of students decided to throw a refrigerator out of a sixth story window in a North Campus dorm.
I guess no matter where you end up you're going to find students like this, which is really too bad because it's not an accurate reflection of the institution.
Also, that article sort of gives the impression that freshmen are completely unregulated at these Leonardtown apartments. I think that's an exaggeration; students are definitely more likely to throw parties because they have more room, but there are still RA's and a good degree of regulation. So yea, that's my two cents on the issue.

samiamy

thanks erad for telling it as you see it. Alot to think about.
Im not a drinker, at least not so far, so not sure how it is not to be part of it if it is a big part of the social scene. Oh well have to really think this out.

lindz0722

samiamy, the "housing issue" you refer to really has no effect on drinking, so please think about those two issues separately.

08mom

It's been 25 yrs since I was living on the U of M CP campus, but I remember the "legendary" party scene like it was yesterday. I was a "good" girl from a conservative home that found U of M's open promiscuity & alcohol/drug culture overwhelming (and I joined in, natch). Please take a look at the dorms before choosing a place for your child to live. Consider on-campus "communities", if U of M has such a thing (most big campuses do). Even consider an off-camput apartment w/known roommates. You can get to the campus by city bus easily. Most of all, keep in regular contact with your incoming freshman. And remember, even the most serious, shy student can be swept up in the freedom college offers. I was in the dorm directly across from the student union & the party never stopped. Good luck!

melon390

leonardtown IS unregulated for the most part, RA's never give a **** there because they have to walks o far.

umcp11

I live in a North Campus high rise, packed full of freshmen eager to party. All of those stories in that column? I see it every night here. The only difference is that there is a dangerous 2 mile walk back home from the apartments/frat houses to the more "monitored" dorms, which I have made myself many times! The issues in the column are not about housing...that is, the issue is not freshmen in unsupervised apartments, it is the rampant access to parties and situations where there are alcohol and illegal drugs, no matter where you live.

I love UMD. I think it's academically challenging. There are ALL kinds of people here, from gamers to athletes to geniuses to drunks to druggies to introverts to activists to all of the above. So make no mistake - Maryland is many things, and one of those things is a party school.

But the thing is, MOST colleges are like this. It's the American college "culture." The temptation to experiment, even for the most straight-laced kid, is hard to avoid. In HS, I never hung out with the partying crowd and I never saw what they were doing. In college, you CAN avoid it, but when a kid is puking across the hall or the smell of pot wafts in through your window or, heaven forbid, your new freshmen buddies decide to take the bus off campus on a Friday or Saturday night for some fun...it's hard, really hard, to miss. I've got friends at mediocre private schools, friends at other state schools, friends at all girls' schools, friends at Ivies...and the story is the same across the board.

astrophysicsmom

Great post, umcp11. I think most parents are kidding themselves if they don't realize this.