Blog 21: Chapter 21: The New 3 R’s

During the 1990’s as undergraduate enrollment and outside funding decreased, college and universities turned to the New 3’R’s. What happened to the Old 3 R’s of education? (reading, ’riting and rithmetic). The New 3 R’s: Recruitment of students, Retention of current students and Renewal of alumni support. “In the twenty-first century, a growing number of schools will probably substitute the New 3 R’s and sports entertainment for general undergraduate education” (Sperber 249). One in every four freshman does not return for sophomore year. Retention rates at smaller colleges and private schools are a little higher because students don’t feel so lost. The only way to get students to come back for their second year is to get them to enjoy their required courses they take freshman year. This was made possible by rewarding professors, limiting class size, offering very few lecture classes and to build a relationship between student and teacher. They key factor is to build a community amongst its students. This will keep freshman on campus and they will become so attached and loyal to the campus community; they will come back. Once they graduate they will be the contributors to the alumni. Please think back to how upset professors were when they had to teach a required course that was so far off from their research. If the students are happy, they will return to campus, increasing the revenue for the universities. The more revenue support from the alumni, the more recruiting the university will be able to do to bring in more students. The bottom line for the New 3 R’s is retention, retention and retention. Retention of new students must be number one on the priority list.

Blog 20: Chapter 20: Who loves the Jocks?

Who loves the jocks? Easy answer, the NCAA loves the jocks. Why wouldn’t the NCAA love the jocks? Another easy answer, the good old boys are bringing in massive revenue to the school and catching the eye of prospective candidates to the university. The former coach and athletic director of Notre Dame stated that junior college athletes have never been admitted to ND because they don’t believe they are real students and never could be. However, junior college students are often allowed into college without even taking SAT/ACT. Although, Notre Dame, recognized for its high standard of academic achievement, does not admit these junior athletes, many universities do, hoping to turn their sports program around. Even though the NCAA has a love affair with the jocks, undergraduate students have mixed emotions. At the University of Iowa, students complained about all the special privileges that the jocks get but in the same breath say how exciting it is to see the “star athlete” in the student union. The statement, “all college athletes should meet the same university requirements as regular students” was only strongly agreed upon by 29% of the respondents. Only 31% agreed, in which the majority of the agrees came from the DIII respondents and women at DI schools. Almost all of the negatives were from Division I males. A Georgetown U student had a typical explanation for special admits of athletes. He explained that he worked his ass off during high school to get into Georgetown. He was fully aware of the fact the most of the athletes at GU earned half the SAT score that he did but they still got in. He noted that the system stunk; but that these players had talent. He also noted that his team would be terrible if only regular GU students played and was in favor of Georgetown being a winning team.

Blog 19: Chapter 19: College Sports MEGANIC. Versus Undergraduate Education

Here we go again, screw the undergraduate! An ad was published in a popular mid-western fast food chain. It deals with students asking the fast-food chain owner several questions: Why the University president’s house is so big? The fast food owner, replies because he represents everything that is important to our school as an institution of higher learning. He also said that the University president and the house he lives in must represent the same thing. The next question in the ad states: Why is the coach’s house bigger? The owner had no answer. Other answers to this question are that the school places more emphasis on its athletic programs than its undergraduate education programs. Students at “BIG-TIME” universities agree strongly that their school places more emphasis on its athletic programs than its undergrad education programs and it is better that way. “A freshman female at Kansas State noted, “They treat the jocks a whole lot better than they do the regular students here and it shows their priorities” (Sperber 232). On the flip side many Division III students feel differently. They feel that the academics come first and the undergrads put them first. “It is clear the academics come first here. If you don’t want it that way, this isn’t the school for you” (Sperber 232). So cut to the chase, the bottom line is Division I athletic programs come first for both the administration and the students.

Blog 18: Chapter 18: College-Sports MEGANIC.

Ten years ago, one could name college sports entertainment, College Sports, Inc. Due to the explosion in revenue, the new name is College Sports Meganic. “One inescapable conclusion appears: College Sports Meganic. Is the most dysfunctional business in America” (Sperber 221). It would be nice to be making around $454 million per year. The new NCAA deal with CBS-TV is making just that; six billion dollars over 11 years. Picture this scenario, coaches strutting around in expensive custom made suits making a whopping $500,000 salary and sneaker deals for $250,000. Everyone who surrounds the athlete is getting rich (athletic directors, college professors, administrations, referees, coaches) while they don’t make a penny., However, most college athletes do receive athletic scholarships topping out at $30,000. How does this make the college athlete feel? Do they feel used? Are they being treated fairly? After all they are bringing in the big money and others are reeking in the gold, and enjoying added perks.

Blog 17: Chapter 17: Rally Round the Team-As Long As It Wins and Covers the Spread

How serious is college betting amongst the students? For most college undergraduates a winning team is high up on their priority list, but for many student fans the win is not just enough for them. They want the team to help them win their bets as well. Gambling has become another added addiction among college students, primarily in college sports. Not only are students known to party whether their team looses or wins, but the deciding factor of whether the stands will be packed or not is weighed heavily on the teams winning or losing program. Let’s face it who wants to support a losing team, a team that has not won a game all year. “One expert believes that betting, mainly on intercollegiate athletic events, “is probably a worse problem… (on college campus today) than alcohol or drug abuse” (Sperber 206). The fans of losing teams feel humiliated after a non-winning season. They often take it personally that their team did not win or performed poorly.” But in the end, win or lose, the party continues. The bottom line is – PARTY, PARTY!!!

Blog 16: Chapter 16: Party Round the Team

Donna Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former president of the University of Wisconsin found a link between beer and circus. She fought to ban alcohol advertising at any collegiate event and the bringing of alcohol to events. This created controversy between other university presidents. Was Donna Shalala a hypocrite? After all, during her tenure as president, UW’s athletic department accepted beer ads and the campus police turned a blind eye to tailgating and drinking in the stadium. She gave her speech to college professors, athletic directors, administration and many NCCA officials. “To say that her proposals “fell upon deaf ears” is to portray the reaction at the NCAA convention as positive” (Sperber 182-3). They wanted nothing to do with her speech; she barely had time to finish. Although the sale of beer has been banned in many schools, smuggling alcohol into stadiums has increased. Many schools have moved their stadiums off campus so they can partake in the sale of beer. Universities can put up all the signs they want banning alcohol but it won’t stop the drinking. Bobby Dodd Stadium (Georgia Tech) signs clearly state no alcohol. “When the band strikes up a favorite tune in the second half of Tech’s homecoming football game…they [the students] loudly join the chorus, “When you say Budweiser, you’ve said it all” (Sperber 191). This is only one example of “smuggling in the goods” but the same type of behavior was displayed nationwide throughout the university circuit. Kids brought in smuggled alcohol in flask; they put alcohol into their coke cans and did whatever they had to do, because drinking was going to take place at collegiate sporting events no matter what. In the 2000 Princeton Review they added an editorial comment based on the large amount of essays submitted by angry students. “CAMPUS WIDE DRINKING PROHIBITIONS DON”T WORK” (Sperber 192).

Blog 15: Chapter 15: Drinking off-Campus and Far off-Campus (Spring Break)

In the 1990’s, many universities were forced by school authorities and lawyers to push the party scene off-campus. This was their attempt to make the campus dry; no alcohol allowed on campus. I know that when I was looking at colleges, student tour guides would say that the campus was a “dry campus” only to see empty thirty packs thrown on the ground and dorm hallways reeking of stale beer and booze. So does the saying, “out of sight out of mind” hold true. Look around any college campus and you will find liquor stores and bars; both big money making businesses. It is all about location, location, location. Bars are always promoting theme nights, discount drinking nights and college id nights. The ironic thing about off-campus drinking is most college town bars and liquor stores rarely ask for an ID. They know college students are using fake ID but they don’t care. Florida State, an all time party school, begins partying on Monday night and ends the following Sunday. One female student said, “This school is a joke, it’s unbelievable easy” (Sperber 169). She wondered if her degree would be worth anything.
Take a trip Spring Break around 1995 looking pretty good, corporate sponsors spent a record breaking twenty million dollars in advertisement. Later, other businesses joined in on the “band wagon” for spring break. Sponsors included fast food chains, credit card companies and of course MTV televising the wild antics of college students. Millions of dollars are spent on advertisement and promotions for spring break. The “Sunshine State “ back in 95 was a hot spot for spring break and still is in the year 2010.

Blog 14: Chapter 14: Cheep Beer: The Oxygen of the Greek System

The legacy of “Animal House” lives on…………………. During the 1990’s binge drinking on campuses throughout the country was consistent. “The newspaper adage- “if it bleeds, it leads”-definitely applied to the topic of student drinking in the 1990s” (Sperber 155). Send an eighteen year old to college to drink beer, chase the opposite sex and put partying before grades and still pass. BINGO! They would think that they hit the lottery. Fraternities were the big thing on campus and if you did not belong to one you would join so that you were part of the “BIG” party scene. Alcohol consumption was high on the priority list of college students, next morning syndrome was a question many asked when they woke after a hard night of partying. Described by health professional binge drinking for an average size male is consuming five or more drinks and for a women four or more drinks both in short time periods. Want to speed up the process? Pour some low grade alcohol in a funnel, attach it to a rubber hose and aim it at your throat. College students spend more money on beer than on college books. Most of the bingers belong to the collegiate subcultures and attend the “BIG-TIME UNIVERSITIES.” But that is not to say that smaller universities, private school and Ivy League schools are not right up there with binge drinking. Experts no longer divide colleges into the drinking universities or the non-drinking universities but instead they are divided into the high binge schools and the low binge schools. Would applications decline if the “BIG-TIME” universities were categorized into the less sober schools? “BIG-TIME” universities do not want to be noted as sober schools. “We may lose a game in intercollegiate football or basketball, but we never loose a party” (Sperber 153).

Clog 13: Chapter 13: Undergraduate Education Triage: Honors Program Lifeboats

As the old saying goes “sink or swim,” if you are not an honor student you better get out your life vest because as discussed in this chapter, you will need it. The difference between honors courses and regular classes are astounding. Honors students get to skip out on many introductory classes, they have a much smaller student to professor ratio than the normal UG class and everyone is paying the same tuition. The small class size in honors program in the key factor versus the enormous size of UG class. This is an interesting factor considering that UG students make up the general population of universities. Honors students embody the oldest university traditions, the academically talented students eventually becomes the “faculty of the future.” Professors have a hatred for the UG because they feel these students lack the ability to care for the courses and their course work. At the University of Michigan, non honor classrooms are so big that often televisions monitors are set up so the students in the back of the lecture hall can see and hear the professor better. This can be compared to going to a concert, sitting in the nose-bleed section and watching it on the “large screen monitor.” The major difference here is the cost factor; a concert ticket is not equivalent to the cost of a college education

Blog 12: Chapter 12: Cheating

Is cheating part of our social culture? The dictionary definition of cheat means to deprive something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud, to influence or lead by deceit, trick or artifice or to elude or thwart by or as if by outwitting (Webster Dictionary). Undergraduate students have managed to cheat their way to the top for numerous years in various ways. “A major factor determining whether a student will cheat or not is the academic culture of the specific institution that he or she attends.” (Sperber 123). Large research universities tend to see more of the cheating process because undergrads are resentful or the large size lecture halls, the TA’s that are inexperienced and the professors who are distant. Is this because large universities tend to treat undergrads as just tuition dollars? For some reason there is a connection between undergraduate students at “BIG-TIME” universities and schools with the highest number of cheaters. Some of the reasons for cheating are that they want to party, party, party and hit the books less and less. One Michigan State student stated that he hardly ever attended lecture halls, paid for his notes and papers to be written. He felt MS was insulting his intelligence therefore that was his way of retaliating. “It’s an eye for an eye, it’s my insults for the school’s insults” (Sperber 123). Are faculty members helping students to cheat? At the University of Michigan a tutor admitted that she wrote at least twenty papers for the varsity men’s basketball team. Is there a difference between tutoring a students and helping a student to cheat? NCAA Division I universities have been helping students with their course work for years. Tutors are hired to help athletes with their papers but end up rewriting the entire paper. Faculty members at UM were aware of this scandal but they “turned the other check” and graded the papers as if the athlete himself actually wrote the A paper.

Blog 11: Chapter 11: The Faculty/Student Nonaggression Pact

Why do many undergraduate students allow beer-and-circus to be a replacement for a significant education? If you have some spare time and would like a good read I suggest The Princeton Review, which is guidebook that presents evidence of the terrible undergraduate programs that exist in the United States university system. This chapter discusses the feelings of college students and their education. During this time, the feelings of college students throughout the country are pretty equivalent. They feel that they can achieve good grades without going to class; the main focus on many campuses is following college athletics, partying and having a grand old time. Students who attend large universities feel that they are just a number and removed academics from the top of their list and replaced it with partying and cheering on their college teams. With this being said, let’s talk about the cost of a college education. Parents and students spend an enormous amount of money to get an education. So what happens next, students get on campus figure out they don’t have to go to class to pass and they stop attending class. Prof detest teaching intro level classes because it is a world apart from their “research.” As a result, students stop going to class, but they receive decent grades and everyone is happy. The administration is pleased the professor is doing a good job, the student is happy they passed the class; the parents are thrilled their child passed the class. So in the end everyone at the university is a “HAPPY CAMPER!” Welcome to College 101!!!

Blog 10: Chapter 10: Students Mix and Match

Sperber again discusses the four subcultures that make up collegiate life. Just to remind you, they are the collegiate, academic, vocational and rebel subcultures. The collegiate students who enter school typically have friends from their good old hometown. These friends belong to fraternities or sororities and consist of the same “subculture.” During the 1950’s and 1960’s fights often erupted between the collegiate and the rebels. However, by the time the good old 80’s came rolling around, collegiate students were partying with the rebels. Collegiate students admitted to following the Grateful Dead, hanging out with the frat brothers, holding season tickets to both basketball and football games and partaking in drugs at their houses. One collegiate student who majored in history had nearly a perfect GPA, worked twenty hours a week, been accepted to Berkley for grad school but crewed it all up. Why? He dropped out of school, followed his best friend and his girl to Mexico because this was his rebel phase. “What a waste, financially and intellectually. Also I missed a whole Big Ten basketball season...” (Sperber 102).

Blog 9: Chapter 9: New Siwash in Red Ink

As American education began to sink, college presidents wanted to save their staff. As the quality of undergraduate education began to decline, tuition cost increased considerably. College presidents also wanted to save the intercollegiate sports. What was more important the “BIG-TIME” sports or improving their undergraduate program? In reality, the presidents of colleges/universities did not care about the students but they did care about the faculty and the athlete. Undergraduate students, (majority of the population) realize that this is the case but they don’t know what to do about it. So what do they do? They party hard, cheer for their school’s team and spend money on athletic events. Why do the do this? As undergrad students they know that they are being shafted by the university but they do nothing about it. “This school treats the average student (undergraduate) like shit” said a senior at Ohio State University. “And so we blow off classes and party on high Street. Go Bucks. I’ve had a great four years of partying and following the Bucks, but an awful four years of course work.” (Sperber 98). Did this make a difference to the administration? No, they had the students in the “palms of their hands,” drunk and spending money on the athletic games.

Blog 8: Chapter 8: The Great Researcher=Great Teacher Myth

The myth: a great researcher will equal a great teacher. The reality: a good teacher is a person who is wiling to go the extra yard, someone who makes sure that all students understand the material, who does not mind the extra hours researching or perhaps writing a grant. A good teacher is one who puts everything into their teaching. It was nothing for a university to spend an unlimited amount of money on a great researcher. The result was that these great researchers certainly did not make great teachers. As a result, educators began to have doubts about the teaching style of all these great researchers. Large lecture halls were established and students were having difficulties gasping the concepts because they sat for hours listening to a lecture. “We know that faculty are concerned about their research, and not in teaching us, and so, like the profs, we go essentially ‘brain-dead’ during class” (Sperber 91). It takes a certain kind of student to be able to learn through large lectures and have no teacher student contact. Students become bored, frustrated and loose interest. I could not learn this way as I enjoy the interaction with other students and the professor. I would be lost trying to digest all the information that was given. I feel that the best classes are those in which there is student-teacher-peer interaction.

Blog 7: Chapter 7: Shaft the Undergraduates

The title of Chapter 7 pretty much sums up the chapter, but I will go into a brief synopsis for those of you who might not understand what “Shaft the Undergraduates” actually means. As schools began to see a lost of revenue, they had choices to make, so they began to cut the budgets of undergraduate programs instead of cutting the budgets of their athletic programs. Universities began to focus more and more on research fame and promoting their college franchises. Classroom buildings were beginning to show wear and tear. They were run down and instead of building new classrooms; fancy research buildings were being constructed. Professors began to question this, but they participated in the research. You might ask why a professor would do this. They did so because they are rewarded by the administration with perks such as personal research accounts, paid leave and other goodies. Professors were only required to spend six hours a week in a classroom, many professors managed to spend fewer hours than that in the classroom, sometimes no time at all. TA’s (graduate student teaching assistants) were used to teach undergraduate courses. How did a grad student feeling about teaching to the “four subcultures?” Well, this opposed a little bit of a problem because now they had to get over the “subculture factor” and be pleasant to all the “subcultures.” “Some graduate students climb over these obstacles and become good teachers; others allow their insecurities and inexperience to sabotage their teaching efforts, and they watch in frustration as students mentally and physically depart their courses” (Sperber 80).

Blog 6: Chapter 6: The Flutie Factor

Starting in the mid 1980’s and on, college/university administers throughout the country prayed that they could have the “Flutie Factor” hit their schools. Doug Flutie attended Boston College and was the winner of the 1984 Heisman Trophy. In a nationally televised Thanksgiving weekend game, Dough threw a last second “Hail Mary” pass. This pass gave Boston College the win over Miami who was favored. To say the least, this was definitely one of the most unforgettable moments in college sports during the 1980’s. Due to the “Flutie Factor,” applications for admission to Boston College increase. After Doug graduated from BC, their football program declined as well as their applicants for admission, although they still remained higher than before that memorable victory against Miami. Doug Flutie had a large impact on BC college applications and he is only one person; envision what kind of influence several players with his talent could do for a university. Any university or shall I say business would love to have the “Flutie Factor.” The “Flutie Factor” was on the wish list of many administers, as they saw production and production meant one thing, dollar signs $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Blog 5: Chapter 5: Admissions Office Scams

Many might feel that getting into college is an achievement that one accomplishes but in the chapter of Beer and Circus one finds our differently. One might think that the “bait and switch” tricks only apply to the business world. Many schools often tried to make deals with applicants, offering them deals such as reduced tuition bills if the students enroll at their institution of learning. Large university would use the business deals of “bait and switch” enticing a generous package for the freshman year but then reducing the aid by a substantial amount for the following year. “Some schools played-“let’s make a deal” with applicants, offering such financial “come-ons” as reduced tuition bills if the student enrolled at the institution” (Sperber 55). Admissions offices used these tactics on student who have made the most successful transition to college knowing that these students would have less of a motive to transfer. Universities are being run like a business; they need to fill their classroom and on-campus housing in order to have a successful business. Universities and colleges across the country tried to solve their admission problems by going deeper into the application pool and pulling out students with lower SAT/ACT scores than their previous standards just to fill their schools. Larger universities have an advantage over a smaller university because they are able to entice students with a tour and a weekend stay that often included free tickets to sports events, planned parties and fancy meals. Students get excited because they experience a good time and are eager to come back for more.

Blog 4: Chapter 4: Corporate Beer-And-Circus

Why do students pick a large university? Is it for the education they will receive or is it simply for the athletic sports? Attending the University of Arkansas is not about the education that one can receive it is all about being the biggest Razorback fan that you can be and partying as hard as you can. In the state of Arkansas, students grow up being Razorback fans and they wait for the day that they can go to the University of Arkansas so that they can “call the hogs” a custom enjoyed by Razorback fans. Students can be quoted as saying, “My family loves the Razorbacks passionately” and “I am a true Razorback fan!” (Sperber 45). The students who attend the University of Arkansas are overwhelmed with their surroundings. Newspaper, television, radio stations and advertisements that surround the campus are all an additional influence on the college students at UA. “In this decade, national brewers greatly increased their advertising in the campus newspaper, the Arkansas Traveler, and in the local/regional paper, the Northwest Arkansas Times, as did local beer distributors and liquor stores” (Sperber 46). During this time period major brewing companies had one of the largest marketing strategies. They had several marketing gimmicks such as below cost specials, free merchandise; anything to keep the booze revenue up. This sent a clear message to the students of the University of Arkansas. Today, the media still spends mega bucks enticing college students to large extravagant stadiums along with the encouragement of submissive alcohol consumption.

Blog 3: Chapter 3: The NCAA, The Tube, and The Fans

This chapter discusses the impact that the growth and power of the NCAA had during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Basically, what was happening was rules were developed and they were geared towards forcing schools into enlarging their college sports programs and facilities. It did not make a difference if the colleges did not have the funding to do so. “On the local level, athletic directors and coaches benefited most from the NCAA’s expansion mandates-more teams and bigger facilities enhanced their own job and their mini-empires” (Sperber 34). During this time, the NCAA required several Division I-A football schools to increase the size of their stadiums if they wanted to remain in the division. Some schools were unable to do so and the NCAA threatened to exclude them from Division I-A football. So what happened? Colleges had to “find the money” for these expansions. Coaches and athletic directors pressured and continued to pressure presidents and college administrators to stay in the division and to “pay the piper.” The NCAA encouraged particular athletic departments to look for corporate sponsorships.
Sperber also discusses March Madness and the influences it has on the colleges and players. During this time the NCAA developed a close working relationship with ESPN as ESPN would broadcast an enormous amount of college basketball games. This brought in a good fan base and the NCAA struck gold with March Madness. During the 1980’s many students categorized under the “collegiate subculture” viewed their college’s weight and value according to the success of their football or basketball teams.

Blog 2: Chapter 2: College Sports, Winners and Losers

Who has more power over a university, the president or the basketball coach? In this chapter, Sperber gives an example of a college coach who was able to overpower the president of the university. His example is the legendary Bob Knight, coach of Indiana University, who is probably one of the most powerful basketball coaches in all of college athletics. As far as other coaches go in gaining power over a university president, I have found no evidence linking the two together. In an interview conducted by Connie Chung (national television) Knight was asked how he handled the pressure and stress of coaching a “BIG-TIME” college basketball team. In his answer to Chung he compared it to rape. Knight said, “if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it” (Sperber 24). His answer outraged many and several staff members of IU wanted Erlich, the President, to handle this situation. So what did Erlich do? He issued a statement saying that this was not the feelings of the staff of IU. This outraged Knight and he threaten to leave to take a coaching job at the University of New Mexico. Newspapers across the nation ran this story. In the end, Erlich apologized to Knight and he remained the coach of IU. Simply put Bob Knight had more power than the president of the university. Knight was able to do so because he was loved by the student population of the university, in fact he was loved by the entire state of Indiana. The bottom line Erlich did not know how to deal with the traditions of IU and he was out of his element because he was part of the “academic subculture.” So chalk one up for the prodigy basketball coach.
This chapter discusses the massive demands that college coaches put on their players. “The games had to be won. Americans lacked a psychology for failure” (Sperber 23). Congress endorsed the 4 hour day/20 hour a week practices. “The NCAA hailed the rule as one of the most important pieces of legislation in its history, and even some critics were impressed” (Sperber 31). So what exactly did this mean for college athletes? Did this rule work? No, this rule ended up working against college athletes. This new rule by Congress stated that coaches could only hold practices four hours a day and for 20 hours a week. Sperber says that these were mandated hours and “voluntary” practices would take place. College coaches would monitor these practices and keep an eye out to find out which “players” participated in the “voluntary” practices, extra weight training, conditioning and so on. What would they do with this information?-give the athlete who attended “voluntary” practices more playing time. This was just another added pressure that college coaches inflict on their players.

Blog 1: Introduction and Chapter 1: Animal House

The book, Beer and Circus, certainly sheds a new viewpoint on college life. After I read the introduction and the first chapter many thoughts of college life were whirling through my head. Murray Sperber, the author, discusses the four student subcultures that exist in American higher education. He discusses the collegiate, the academic, the vocational and the rebel subcultures. I feel that I fall into the “rebel subculture” because I often reject mainstream culture and I always try my hardest in classes that I enjoy versus classes that I don’t. I can categorize myself into this subculture because it fits my college career pretty closely. I do not see myself in the category of “collegiate subculture” because I do not belong to a fraternity and ESCU is a small university nor would I pick a school because of collegiate athletics. I certainly don’t categorize myself with the “academic culture” because I do not always get the best grades in my general education classes, I just get mediocre grades. Yes, I could do better but I don’t enjoy the classes. However, I have done well in all my classes pertaining to my major; I enjoy these classes, the work, professors and learning. I have worked extremely hard to make sure all my requirements for my major are fulfilled. I can not categorize myself in the “vocational subculture” because I don’t have to work forty hours a week to pay for my college education, nor am I supporting a family. I can clearly state that I do not see the achievement of my degree to be an entrance into the middle class of society. I do work over the summer and this is the first year that I worked while attending college. My job on campus is limited hours and is enjoyable as it is refereeing inter-mural sports. I am not responsible for paying for my education; I do pay for books and some expenses. Therefore, I feel that I am most connected to the “rebel subculture.” “The goal of rebel students in all eras has been self-development, finding their own way through the maze of higher education and into the complexity of adult society. As part of their search for identity, rebel students exhibit a selective studiousness” (Sperber 9).
The first chapter in Beer and Circus, titled, “Animal House” discusses the movie “Animal House” and the influence it had on the collegiate subculture during the late 1970’s. The author discusses how this movie dealt with college life during the 1960’s and how this movie impacted college campuses during the 1970’s. Sperber says that it portrayed 1960’s college life from the viewpoint of the rebel subculture combating the academic subculture. I feel that this movie is still impacting the college campus across America. In today’s “Animal House,” beer cans and kegs are a large part of the décor of college dorms and college houses. Parties of today resemble the movie “Animal House,” as off campus houses have all night parties, students consuming too much alcohol and pranks being played on one another. Drinking and parting is a large part of college life on and off campus throughout the country. Some years back during UCONN spring weekend, furniture was being thrown off balconies and cars were lit on fire, extra patrol was called in and there was no stopping the festivities. One might ask if this was UCONN’s version of “Animal House?’ The movie, “Animal House” has impacted the lives of how college students act today. I think it is safe to say that “Animal House” is still in swing in the year 2010.