BAD Visit, Need to Vent

mini
Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:35:31 +0000

My own college 40 years ago adapted to the drinking environment by putting a required section of the freshman pre-med weed-out class at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. And they took attendance! It was the only thing they could come up without even more drastic changes to teaching quality. (and, yes, there were lots of hung-over students, and student responses to professors’ questions were dismal). Many colleges and universities have simply done away with Friday classes all-together.

Any college that tells you that heavy drinking doesn’t affect educational quality is lying.

My older d., who was recruited by my alma mater (#1 LAC), actually paid three visits, two of them overnights. At the last women, the women in the entry way started drinking before dinner (it was a Thursday night), and took flasks with them to an a capella concert. My d. ended up tutoring another student in her music assignment. They were all very friendly. But my d. was happy to turn them down. (And, as an alum, I wrote a letter to the college pres., who admitted that, indeed, they did have a serious problem).