Illustration by Arnie Bermudez
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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday, October 22, 2004
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In honor of Family Weekend, we asked our columnists: "How do you think college life in your parents' time differs from life in college now?" Our columnists weigh in on the advantages and disadvantages of present-day college life.
Parties are evil now
In honor of Family Weekend, I decided to do a little extra research. So I asked the two people I trust most, my mom and dad, what college was like back then.
They tried to act like they studied a lot in college, read books and stuff. But I know better. Mom was a Comm major, and there's an ass-beating paddle on the wall of Sig Ep with dad's name on it.
So I pressed further. Two smiles cracked on their faces. Turns out that parties were way different back then. The drinking age was 19, there were keggers in the dorms. People had fun.
Flash forward 30 years. The dorms feel like jails. Fake IDs are big business. If you have 5 people in your house it's considered a party. If you do what I did and actually have a party, you'll get what's called a red tag, the housing equivalent of having "stupid" written on your forehead.
So sure they didn't have iPods, WebReg or Lute Olson. But they had their fun. I'd trade in a second.
Ryan Johnson, who preemptively apologizes to his parents, is an economics and international studies junior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Dorm life isn't the same
Since I have moved out of the residence halls, many changes have been undertaken (like the renaming of hall government to hall council), but these changes are small compared with the changes that have occurred since our parents lived on campus.
First is the name change. Back in the day, they weren't called residence halls; instead, they were dormitories. But today, the word dormitories carries the stigma of scary dorm moms, hall phones and curfews.
Speaking of dorm rules, I had a friend whose parents sent her to live in one of the all-girls halls, because they remembered from their years at the university that no men were allowed inside the building. Boy were they surprised when they found out that not only were young men allowed to spend the night, but that they were allowed to use the girls' restroom!
And hall life hasn't been the same since the introduction of computers. No longer does "being neighborly" mean leaving the comforts of your room and visiting with the geeks down the hall.
Instead of walking next door, socializing now means instant messaging the girl next door to see if she wants Starbucks. Now, the only time you see people out is if the Internet goes down.
Looking at all the changes from when my parents lived in the dorms, I am sure glad that my "good old days" in the residence halls do not include dorm moms and curfews.
Laura Keslar is a pre-pharmacy junior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Spanning the cultural gap at the UA
Oh, how things have changed in just a single generation. The cultural divide between the UA's parents and students is so large that, most of the time, neither knows anything about what the other likes. Parents, you need to be aware that the environment that your children are living in is a completely different culture than when you lived on campus.
The differences are plentiful. You had typewriters; we have laptop computers. You were amazed by DOS; we don't even know what that stands for. What we are amazed by are the realistic graphics seen while blowing up that kid from the third floor with a missile launcher in "Halo."
You had Paul Newman the actor; we have Paul Newman the salad dressing salesman.
You went to concerts and shouted "Freebird;" we say, "Who the hell is Lynryrd Skynyrd?"
But feel bad for us - the music of our time is, well, limited. We pretty much have only three general choices for our new music: manufactured pop, manufactured rap, or manufactured crap. But at least we don't have to spend our cash on big plastic records; all we have to do is rip our friend's CD or download a song on our iPod.
Obviously, the cultural scenery around college life has changed, but, at the core, our campus life remains just like yours was. Just like you, we're all trying our best not to sleep through class. We're all struggling to eat a meal that isn't based on ramen noodles or pizza. And we're all looking forward to you coming this weekend - mainly because we hope you will do our laundry for us.
Brett Berry is a regional development senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Less diverse, but more healthy
Once upon a time, you couldn't eat McDonald's every day of the week as a freshman.
Food commercialization was virtually non-existent 30 years ago when my dad went to college. At the University of Kansas in the early 70s, a giant student union with an array of commercialized eateries simply did not exist.
While UA students have grown accustomed to eating continuously all day, our parents' generation relied on scheduled eating times in a dorm cafeteria. In fact, the college even scheduled classes around eating times for its students.
Dependency on cafeteria food meant that students living on campus spent much more of their time in the dorms. Wow, so I wouldn't be able to just hang out in the union all day and sleep in the library to get away from my weird roommate?
Similarly, I bet all of our parents now would feel more comfortable knowing we had consistent exposure to healthy foods from a cafeteria, as opposed to the possibility of little Billy eating Domino's pizza and McDonalds milkshakes for a week.
Although diversity of food choices on campus can lead to poor eating habits, we should appreciate how much choice we still have. Think about it; we have access to every food, whether it be sugary donuts, organic cereals, greasy fries, or fresh salads.
Let's be glad the UA hasn't tried too hard to control our lives, in some ways more than others, and remember that college life didn't always taste this great.
Lauren Peckler is a sophomore majoring in English and sociology. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Passage of time leaves students with AIM
Many things have changed over the years since our parents have left the adventurous land of college, such as the job market, Michael Jackson's nose and especially the art of procrastination. The art of procrastination has been advanced and refined by today's college students to the level of perfection.
From the days of burning bras and puffing the magic dragon, present students have moved on to pursing the culture of AOL Instant Messenger.
AIM is possibly the second-most powerful force in the United States, ranked only below my mother's right hand. AIM, which most likely every middle school, high school and college student uses, is a means of staying in touch with friends without actually having to see them. It's kind of like a phone, but without the dread of going over any individual's minute plan.
The following is a conversation probably every college student has at least once a day:
WildWarrior44: DiD u check out da nEW OC?
NaughtyHottie81: No.
WildWarrior44: OMG! Tell me Ur jk! YoU suK!
The use of AIM prevents people from doing anything productive, and college students have taken the AIM program to a categorically sick level. College students can now not do their homework by talking to their friends about trivial topics.
Although it is not as crazy as burning one's undergarments or smoking illegal drugs, chatting about nothing can be done for hours, where as setting things on fire and doing drugs can last a half an hour max before being sent to the hospital or passing out in a dark alley.
Using AIM is not only a safe experience for all college individuals, but it is also used as means to forget all about important appointments, midterm studying, and homework assignments. Safe, fun, and a wonderful way to procrastinate; I don't know what else a college student needs except AIM. Sorry parents, you guys missed out.
Moe Naqvi is a physiological sciences freshman. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
The Age of the Metrosexual
I've got to hand it to the UA community, we take really good care of ourselves.
Prizing porcelain skin is something better left to the Victorian Age, as only skin that's been bronzed by sun or bottle is all the rage.
The Student Recreation Center is one of the most frequented places on campus.
In short, personal upkeep is a top priority. However, as much as women are renowned for going the extra mile to keep up appearances, the men are not far behind.
So, parents as you walk around campus with your student, don't be surprised at the amount of well-groomed and pampered collegiate men.
They are affectionately termed "metrosexuals."
Forget about the past, with its iconic image of man, disheveled and rugged.
Right now, the trend is more for the GQ cover boy look, not the Marlboro Man.
Not that the metrosexual trend is a bad thing. I know that the aesthetic value across the nation has skyrocketed as a result, and for that I am grateful.
However, society being more accepting of male primping does have its problems.
For instance, I hate being asked the dread question by my girlfriends, "Do I look fat?" Now, I've got both genders asking me this question, which of course the answer is a prompt and emphatic "no," though I might be thinking otherwise.
Though I'm all for dumping gender roles, there is something inherently wrong when I'm waiting for my date to finish doing his hair.
Additionally, my pride won't allow me to go out with men prettier than myself, which makes the business college population completely hands off for me.
Susan Bonicillo is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
