From the Richmond Times Dispatch:
Richmond, Va. —
Rap artist Asher Roth loves college, but it’s the reasons why that are causing controversy ahead of his performance at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Welcome Week for incoming freshmen.Along with fellow hip-hop artist B.o.B., Roth — whose hit single “I Love College” was all the rage last year — is set to perform at a Back to School Jam concert Aug. 28 at the Siegel Center.
In keeping with the themes of Roth’s other work, “I Love College” extols certain nonacademic portions of the collegiate experience, such as excessive beer consumption, marijuana use and casual sex. At one point, the song devolves into the chanting of the words “chug” and “freshmen.”
Event price tag: $100,000, to be paid for through student activity fees from Monroe Park Campus students.
Parent groups, administrators, parents of incoming freshmen and people about the state are not silent over this school sponsored event. The event was selected by the Programming Commission, comprised of 12 student executives from 12 different student activity committees.
VCU has held the Back to School Jam since 2002. The event usually consists of a dance party, and the cost the past three years has been between $15,000 and $23,000.
This is only the second time the event has included a concert; the other was in 2006, when rapper T.I. performed at a cost of $116,000. The following year, T.I., or Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., was arrested and later served 10 months in prison on federal weapons charges.
I have finally arrived. I am an old fogey. I can hear the Moonhowlings contributors’ logic now..”.but they are adults (meaning the students).” Perhaps. This is insane. No wonder college costs so much if $100,000 is being wasted on this crap. If the various student coucil executives or whatever they call themselves can’t do any better than this, perhaps the decision making needs to be taken away. The administration needs to have some veto power here.
I wouldn’t care as much if parents and grandparents weren’t forking over $30k a year for young Johnny and Jane to get an education. Unfortunately, little pukes like those seen in the video think they invented partying and out of control behavior. News flash: they didn’t. Bacchanalian behavior has been around since there have been grapes. I simply don’t see why incoming freshmen need to be encouraged to behave irresponsibly. Marijuana possession and use is illegal. The out-of-control drinking should certainly not be normalized considering the average freshman is 3 years away from legal drinking age. Alcohol is a tremendous problem on campuses. Drunk driving continues to be a national scourge as we saw here in Prince William just last week. Additionally, every year colleges and universities report students dying of alcohol related deaths such as depression resulting in suicide and alcohol poisoning, etc.
Colleges and Universities like Virginia Commonwealth University need to send a far more responsible message about what is expected regarding appropriate college behavior.
So what do the contributors think? Should the student ‘advisors’ be making this kind of decisions with this much money? Should they be featuring an artist who is promoting illegal activities in the name of a state supported school? A school sponsored activity is much different than one where students go out and pay their own admission fees. The question is sponsorship, not the right to attend a concert of this nature.
As much as I enjoyed teaching college, I can honestly say that some college students are incredibly immature….and the admin. is buying into it.
Many are just three months out of high school. Perhaps they are legal adults. Most are not real adults making adult decisions with adult responsibilities. Most are still dependent on their parents and will be for many years.
I believe that that the proportion of rights to responsibility is way off kilter.
My third kid starts college in just a couple of weeks, and I have always had problems with what student funds are spent on. Ridiculous. And the federal government has now sanctioned more young-adult irresponsibility by mandating health care coverage be available via willing or able parents until age 26. Twenty-six??? How about a 6-to-9-month grace period after college graduation or maybe to age 23–whichever comes first–to force these “kids” to get out and start earning a damned living instead of sponging off Mom and Dad and delaying adulthood? Twenty-six is ridiculous unless a child has some sort of disability.
My one child who is in graduate school is doing so on a fellowship that also happens to provide her with healthcare, but we’ve never felt we’ve owed our kids anything beyond a bachelor’s degree. We’ve always told the kids they get four years, that’s all, unless they’re in a special program or something, and we do not pay for books or spending money, and so far the two older ones are paying their small share of student-loan debt without any complaints. We wanted them to own their educations, rather than having Mommy and Daddy pay for every single thing while they party it up. In our house, it’s screw up, and find your own way flipping burgers or something. Period. And we have not been disappointed yet. I was a homeowner with a career, a new car, two small children AND my own health insurance policy by the time I was 26. Why are so many parents so terrified of being adults themselves and setting the rules and expectations for college behavior?
When we tolerate such crap, we DESERVE it.
So how do you not tolerate it?
Many parents have simply been worn down by their kids. Others have an uphill battle.
I think throwing in health insurance is a side issue. You don’t have to have your kids on your health insurance, it just opens it up if you need to. Not a bad option, as long as it is an option.
Other than that, I pretty much agree with Emma.
I have a real problem with the 18 year old ‘adult’ concept. Just because you can vote doesn’t make one an adult. The adult status being conferred on 18 year olds is an example of unintended consequences that resulted from the 26th amendment giving 18 year olds the right to vote. Of course, this age was chosen to coicide with the age at which one can be drafted.
All sorts of other caveats attached themselves to the various rules on the 26th. One of the real down sides is that parents had less control over their kids. In many respects, parents are expected to pay the bills and at the same time, they are given zero authority over those they are supporting. What’s wrong with this picture? It isn’t all about raising your kids right. Some kids who have been raised right turn into POSes anyway.
@Moon-howler
So how do you not tolerate it?
You cut them off, plain and simple, after you’ve given them a chance or two to clean up their act. I have four kids to send through college, and I’d like to have a relatively prosperous retirement after giving so much to my kids. I’m not going to let any one of them bleed my bank account while they play. There is no shame in flipping burgers, if learning is not going to be their first priority in college.
I guess I wanted to know how to protest stuff like what the tread is about. Thank goodness I now longer have to worry about paying for kids. I sure hope there is no shame in food service of any kind. It is a good way to make a living if you have to.