Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 Source: Denver Post (CO) Copyright: 2003 The Denver Post Corp Contact: http://www.denverpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122 Author: Dave Curtin, Denver Post Higher Education Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) CU RATED NATION'S TOP PARTY SCHOOL Campus Is No. 1, But Not Celebrating After years of flitting among the top 10, the University of Colorado at Boulder is finally ranked as No. 1 party school in the country by The Princeton Review college guidebook released today, a dubious honor that CU doesn't take seriously. CU officials note the unscientific nature of the survey and point out that students who participate in the online questioning can perpetuate any myth they want about any school. "You're never sure who they ask or what the criteria is for the rankings," said Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs. "It's a pretty clever way to sell a book." Publicists for the $21.95 book titled "The Best 351 Colleges" say 106,000 students were polled on 351 campuses, an average of 340 on every campus. That could mean full participation on a tiny campus or minuscule participation on a large campus such as CU, which has 26,000 students. Responses from the past three years were considered in the rankings. The Princeton Review - unaffiliated with Princeton University - ranks universities annually. The 2004 edition profiles each and compiles 63 "Top 20" rankings. The Colorado School of Mines in Golden was ranked No. 9 for worst food, an improvement over last's year's top ranking. "Come eat anytime - breakfast, lunch or dinner. We're really proud of our food here," college spokeswoman Marsha Konegni said. "I think it's an old survey and doesn't reflect the changes or the variety of food." The Air Force Academy was ranked No. 1 for reported low marijuana use and tops for educating future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution. It ended up on 14 of the top-20 lists. Colorado College, a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, is No. 8 for students who never stop studying and No. 18 for "students ignore God on a regular basis," even though it has a chapel on campus and a full-time chaplain. The University of Denver is profiled in the book but doesn't appear on any of the top lists. Colorado State University isn't represented in the books at all. CU-Boulder also ranks No. 1 for students who (almost) never study, No. 3 for reefer madness (high marijuana use reported) and No. 4 for lots of hard liquor. "People who come here just to play aren't going to stay long," Stump said. "We have students who are Rhodes and Marshall scholars and faculty who are Nobel Prize and MacArthur grant winners." The CU vice chancellor preferred instead to focus on the mostly complimentary description of the Boulder campus in the book "as a place to get a good education on an attractive campus with great recreation opportunities," he said, summarizing the CU synopsis. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl