We all know Buffs like to party, but does it need to be broadcast to everyone? When can we brag about our educational experience instead?
Over Thanksgiving break, a video capturing CU’s party scene was published on Blend, a new social network app “exclusively for college students.” The video raises an issue: that these raging lifestyles appear to be the bulk of what CU has to offer.
“If you stereotype college life that way, it’s taking everything you weren’t allowed to do…and making that life appealing,” said 22-year-old senior Asian studies major Bri Duke. “We’ve been trying so hard to make this school be not so party-oriented, and there’s still videos like this that draw a lot of attention.”
Most of us are aware of the “Be Boulder” campaign through the mass emails sent to all students showcasing academic achievements within the university. But for non-students and non-Boulderites, the Blend video might have encapsulated all they know about our school.
“I went in knowing a lot of good things about CU,” Duke said. “I didn’t realize there was so much research and success coming from CU graduates. I think that’s a better alternative when marketing the campus.”
While the “Be Boulder” campaign highlights some of the best features of the university, what’s to keep it from being overpowered by viral party videos? Unfortunately, the creators and participators of those videos don’t seem to realize that their actions and subsequent broadcasting of them create a negative image of our overall education.
“There’s a blurred line between ‘party’ and ‘social,'” said 20-year-old junior psychology major Neila Meyer. “Show people at a football game and with school spirit — there’s people having just as much fun.”
Scantily-clad girls kissing girls and Burnetts-chugging bros apparently appeal to a certain crowd, but at what point do videos like this become the entire reflection of a university? I’d say it’s happening right about now, and affecting the senior Buffs especially. Many of us are approaching our postgraduate careers, and it’s videos like this one that impact the perception of CU, putting flashing lights and arrows on the exact spot on our resume that reads University of Colorado.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Corie Thompson at Corie.Thompson@colorado.edu.
