Blog 5- #1 Party School

1. What is the issue of the piece? 
Alcohol is a big issue at Penn State, giving the University the rank of #1 party school. The school has tried many different approaches to eliminate this dangerous issue that effects students of Penn State and residents of State College.  But, it is extremely difficult for university administrators to fix.  


2. What reasons are given for why the issue needs to be investigated?
Penn State has earned the infamous reputation of "#1 Party School"; the campus is getting out of hand.  It comes with many dangers; including the death of a freshman, Joe Dato.  The amount of drinking is obviously unsafe.

3. Who is the intended audience?
People who are looking for information about Penn State.  I think parents of current or potential future students would want to hear about it so they are aware of the party scene. Also, i think administrators of Penn State should listen to hear how Penn State is perceived, and then they can take action to fix the issue. 


4. What facts and details are given to explain how the issue affects different groups that might have an interest in or connection to the issue?
I liked hearing the details of how college students live on the weekends, from students, employers, and police officer's point of view.  The student point of view shows how they all have a great time, drinking the cheapest alcohol available but still being the "hero" when they bring it.  Also, the party scene at fraternities is discussed.  Then, when seen from the Police point of view, we see how much trouble the students can be for being publicly intoxicated, like urinating in public.  Also, most students who end up in the hospital have BAC levels of 3x the legal limit.  This proves how although going the the #1 Party school seems like it's all fun and games for students, it causes serious legal and health issues that we should all be aware of because we as Penn State students can all relate to it.



5. What conclusion is drawn by the end of the report? 
You reduce risk by limiting kids availability to alcohol. The less alcohol available, the less students will drink, which will lead to less regrettable things.  They believe, essentially what needs to happen is a police crackdown. There has been a shift from earlier eras though however, with Spanier and other associates who want to make a change and they have to keep working on it to fix the issue.


6. What research and interviews were included in this report? 
Police, students (drunk and sober), other colleges who have cracked down on alcohol, bar owners, and residents of State college were all interviewed.  By obtaining these interviews he got the view of the drinking/partying issue at Penn State from all different types of people.  Research was conducted when they found information on how other colleges cracked down on the issue, like University of Nebraska at Lincoln.


7. What narrative techniques were used in this report? 
This American Life includes dialogue and multiple interviews, creating a successful array of opinions from various people.  Since it is on the radio and therefore there are no visuals, they use catchy music and actual sound clips to draw in the audiences' attention.  The beginning started with an anecdote/ story that we could visualize, drunk students, and it ended with the nutgraph that the culture of Penn State is extremely difficult to change, but if the amount of alcohol is limited that would solve most alcohol related issues.  It ends in a catchy way that leaves us remembering it, as it summarizes the issue and then we hear the, "WE ARE!" chants.


Did you like it? Why? Why not? What worked for you? What didn't? What would have liked to hear more of/less of in the story? 
I really enjoyed this story.  Despite the length, i was entertained because i can understand everything that was discussed.  Now that i am adapted to college-life, i have heard of all of those places and a lot of the anecdotes made me laugh because i have witnessed or experienced some of these things on my own.  What worked for me how relatable yet informative this story was.  Being the #1 party school seems like an honor to some, but it really is a serious issue that the administrators have found nearly impossible to fix.  What didn't work for me was how a lot of the information was brought back up in several different sections where it didn't relate.  Football tailgating kept being brought up unnecessarily, for instance.  I would have liked to hear less about alumni and whether or not we can ban them drinking for tailgating, because as Spanier said, we obviously can't prohibit drinking for those above the legal age.  I would have liked to hear more about how parents or elders feel about the drinking at Penn State, and would have liked to see if that would have effected whether or not parents would pay for their children to get an education here.  Those people probably aren't as aware as the party scene as we are.  However, the views of all people interviewed provided great insight to the pros and cons of once being titled, "The #1 Party School."