<p>barrons, I lived in the Mifflin area and was involved in the Mifflin Street Coop. I knew Paul Soglin. I am SO glad that era is behind us. I have no regrets it is over. If my kids end up repeating the utter stupidity that I and others of my generation engaged in, I will feel that I have wasted my time as a parent. </p>
<p>Those were not times worthy of nostalgia.</p>
<p>Yes the combo (drunk and naked) can be iffy, not to mention if you add in the fire. Occasional nudity, streaking, whatever was mentioned in the guide books for many LACs my son visited. My LAC was considered to be extremely unconventional, but I was never socially uncomfortable there and I never saw anything that made me feel unsafe or embarrassed. Maybe I’ve just forgotten?</p>
<p>EK4: I also immediately thought to myself “did she visit Reed?” ;)</p>
<p>Students have choices. No one is going to make anyone else join in a drunken bacchanal. I will also note that my son (at MIT) went to much wilder parties–and much bigger parties–than my D did at Reed. He also “knows nothing” about some very dangerous activities (like hanging banners on the side of a 12-story dorm)…</p>
<p>I stayed with friends visiting college way back when. We went and visited some boys’ room drank cocktails (I was certainly underage even if they weren’t) and they set cans of hair spray on fire. The more things change, the more they stay the same…</p>
<p>Yes, it would be a real shame if they questioned the culture and found their own way. Best to go straight into investment banking and start that wealth building.
BTW I lived just behind Mifflin on the 500 block of West Washington. Used to go to the co-op fairly often.</p>
<p>barrons, What was your address on W. Washington? We may have lived in the same building. I sure hope you aren’t the guy who kept the huskies tied up on a rope 24/7!</p>
<p>I’m not into investment banking or wealth building. But I’m also not into stupidity and death by psychedelics. </p>
<p>Actually I loved Madison. I do have some different ideas now about a lot of things, though.</p>
<p>Fire… Bad</p>
<p>frankenstien snl christmas special 
</p>
<p>I agree, I like my eyebrows and facial hair.</p>
<p>They grow back</p>
<p>If fire was bad, we would still be eating raw fish wrapped in seaweed…[url=<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/restaurants/2003120430_taste12.html]wait[/url”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/restaurants/2003120430_taste12.html]wait[/url</a>]</p>
<p>I agree with those who think that if your daughter has a strong internal compass, she will likely negotiate such a school well.
But I’d like to say that 4 years in a particular environment can skew one’s concept of what is “normal” or acceptable. I know that my four years are impacting my behavior even today, in good ways and in bad.
Does a school have predominately well-off kids or kids of modest means? And is their liberalism more social-experimental or political?
As a parent, these are issues I would think about.</p>
<p>I had my eyebrows and other hair burned off when I lit a gas oven in WV back in the 70’s. I was just making dinner or baking bread. Went to Vidal Sassoon in NYC when I was in a nursing program to fix my fried hair and they were really snobbish. I don’t think I ever told my son about this but he was holding his breath for a not-so-snobbish school. The Sasson cut was good, but the experience was…</p>
<p>Thanks so much to all CC members who have replied. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.</p>
<p>When son was visiting colleges, we toured with him at several schools on the west coast. At one school husband and son picked up the student newspaper and enjoyed reading about the previous weekend events/parties on campus. When we went to eat in the dining hall, they tossed the newspaper at me and laughed, telling me to read about some of the college “happenings” on campus in the newspaper. As my eyes grew wider with reading about “Foam Parties” and all that they involve (this was in print-student newspaper), husband and son enjoyed seeing my reaction. Son had already decided that he was not interested in the school, but they both enjoyed my reaction. Yes, I think that in some ways, colleges have changed-in a big way!</p>
<p>Jeeesh. Just to explain, what I’m calling fire dancing, and others are calling fire spinning, is something akin to martial arts, rhythmic gymnastics, dance, and/or baton-twirling (which, come to think of it, sometimes involves fire, too). When I’ve seen it, there were two metal pots holding special fuel at the end of several-feet-long chains. The fire burns – not especially hotly, not out of control – inside the metal pots. The dancer swings the pots around on the end of the chains, making intricate patterns that involve practice and coordination. Often the dancer moves around, too – dances, really – although that can make things harder. If he goofs, if the pots drop . . . nothing much happens. The fire goes out. It’s performed in a cleared, fireproof area, with spotters and a distant audience.</p>
<p>When someone does it in the dark, outside at night, or in a dark room, and that someone has practiced a lot and has skills – it’s really, really pretty.</p>
<p>It bears no resemblance . . . none . . . to setting aerosole sprays on fire or other stupid human tricks.</p>
<p>I have no idea about burning the bra off. It sounds either (a) apocraphal, (b) a circus trick with special equipment, including a flame-proof undergarment.</p>
<p>Whenever I try to explain strange new things these days, I turn to Wiki. It’s so easy.
My lazy kids taught me to do this:</p>
<p>[Fire</a> dancing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_dancing]Fire”>Fire performance - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>My D did some in college, poi spinning, and mentioned that she admired others who could do fire. That was a “next step” she never got to. She began stilting instead…</p>
<p>^^Unfortunately, wiki makes no mention of how to perform the burning bra trick without scorching your…um…mammalian appendages.</p>
<p>What good magician wants to give away the secret to the trick? But there’s got to be a trick somewhere, as JHS suggested.
</p>
<p>Mostly I wanted all to see readily how this activity mentioned at the LAC has a large context in performing arts.</p>
<p>Sounds like the OP’s D’s friend might have seen kids experimenting in “Standard Modern” form, which looks a bit tame once you see how much can be done with this art form.</p>
<p>I admire the atmosphere described. Both my kids picked less quirky places; I don’t know if there are fire spinners, but neither has mentioned anything like that. However, drinking to being alcohol poisoned has been mentioned, cocaine use has been mentioned, unsafe sex has been mentioned, all not as activities D or S are into, but casually as part of what they encounter; S first one; D second two. Seems to me this are much more dangerous than wearing thongs. Some bathing suits are little more. If the kids think that’s daring, they are cutely innocent I think.</p>
<p>S (frosh) said he is going to get EMT training this summer so if he sees alcohol poisoning at the parties he goes to he can be of help. He doesn’t drink at all (bothers his sister who is afraid he is a total nerd) and feels absolutely no pressure to do so. He is completely accepted. There are always alternative activities, but he usually goes to the parties. (Hear me foolishly say, “you mean you didn’t go to the traditional lute concert?” – S is planning on a music major and is a string player.)</p>
<p>I actually witnessed students burning down the guard house at my university when the “pigs” came on campus and accidentally? ran over a student to make drug arrests.</p>
<p>LOL, am imagining Mythmom’s classy S strolling in with a lute to the parties, saying “alas” and dropping to rescue some clueless coed with his EMT-trained
techniques in CPR.</p>
<p>And a prospective student could report this as quite a scene!</p>
<p>(Dear OP, I’m not at all taking your concerns lightly. Understand we’re just familiar with each others’ kids so I took the liberty above.)</p>
<p>Seriously, EMT training sounds immensely valuable - as a citizen, for a summer job, as a dad someday FAR FUTURE of course…</p>
<p>Well, when D was visiting the school she wound up attending, she met two seniors who had a carefully annotated map. They were going to pee on every building on campus before graduating. This at a women’s college. D’s decision to attend is an example of correlation not being causation.</p>
<p>Yeah, TheDad. That’s what she told you. Have you searched her drawers for her little map? (Oh God, kidding of course.)</p>