Education: July 2008 Archives

Just in time for heading back to the campus, the Princeton Review has come out with its annual ranking of party schools. Guess what? The University of Illinois has regained a spot in the top 20. Oskeewowwow!

Yes, Illinois schools have been somewhat lax in their partying in recent years. But according to the Princeton Review, this year the U of I is listed at No. 16. Not as good as Iowa, at No, 14, not as good as West Virginia, at No. 4. But better than No. 17, Arizona State University where the coeds drink beer with ice in their plastic cups, if The Hound remembers correctly.

No. 1 school is University of Florida, whose football team, the Gators, play in The Swamp. If you saw Gainesville, you'd party, too.

And, if you don't want to party at Illinois, you can always attend Wheaton College in west suburban Wheaton, which was named No. 2 "stone-cold sober" school, after Brigham Young University, by the Princeton Review. Of course, there's plenty of things to do in Wheaton --- like drive to Aurora.

Here's the top 20 party list, according to a survey of 120,000 students:

1. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
2. University of Mississippi, University, Miss.
3. Penn State University, University Park, Pa.
4. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.
5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.
6. Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va.
7. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
8. University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
9. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
10. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
11. University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H.
12. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
13. University of Colorado, Boulder, Co.
14. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
15. Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
16. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill.
17. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.
18. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
19. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
20. Loyola University-New Orleans, New Orleans, La.

Here's the top 20 sober schools, according to the same amount of students:

1. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
2. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.
3. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.
4. College of the Ozarks, Point Lockout, Mo.
5. Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.
6. U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
7. U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
8. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
9. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.
10. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.
11. U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
12. Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga.
13. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Mass.
14. City University of New York-Queens College, Flushing, N.Y.
15. Webb Institute, Glen Cove, N.Y.
16. Berea College, Berea, Ky.
17. Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Ga.
18. City University of New York-Baruch College, New York.
19. Simmons College, Boston.
20. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Skol!

Guess one way to tick off teachers is to discuss a charter school. Lake County United has been talking up starting a 150-student charter school in Waukegan which appears to have rubbed the Lake County Federation of Teachers the wrong way.

The teachers' abruptly pulled out of what was once a 37-organization community-based group working for change. The Hound thinks it odd that the 6,500-member teachers' union is supporting the presidential candidate of change, Barack Obama, but isn't interested in changing the educational structure in their own county.

Along with leaving Lake County United, the teachers likely took their share of funding with them, like children taking their ball and going home when they don't like the score. What teachers' unions don't like about charter schools is that they are results-oriented.

A 2003 study performed by the national American Federation of Teachers union, which opposes charter schools, found that students attending charter schools tied to school boards do not fare any better or worse statistically in reading and math scores than students attending public schools. That study has run counter to other educational studies which have found the opposite.

The Hound would think the teachers' union would stay in Lake County United and work for change within the system. Instead, they ignore change is afoot with them or without them.
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The Hound was paging through the sports section the other day and came upon Jeff Bonato's Extra Point column where he noted that Highland Park and Vernon Hills high schools have canceled their traditional Week 2 prep football tilt and instead will be on the road for games. These two schools must have gas to burn, at $4-plus a gallon.

According to Bonato, Highland Park's Little Giants will be on the road to Minooka, a 140-mile round trip; Vernon Hills' Cougars will make a 55-mile round trip to South Elgin High at Streamwood. Previously, the two teams played within 22 miles (round trip) of each other.

Perhaps this is some sort of contractural agreement the two teams have to play in Minooka and Streamwood, but in these times of diminishing supplies and increasing costs, seems sort of wasteful. The Hound knows where Streamwood is but had to check where Minooka (Supposedly Pottawatomie meaning "contented", although The Hound believes it means moose meat) is. The Hound gets confused among all these "M" towns we have in Illinois, like Mundelein, Manteno, Marion, Mattoon, Macomb, Mendota, Mahomet, Malta...you get the idea. Minooka, turns out, is near Joliet.

In addition, seems sort of .politically incorrect for those liberals from Highland Park High traveling all that way to play a team whose nickname is the "Indians". Minooka must be one of the last in Illinois to use that name. They took the Chief away, after all.

Highland Park High does have this new E85 fuel depot so they have an excuse. Maybe they'll fill up in corn country for the return trip back. But what's Vernon HIlls' excuse? Wonder if District 128 taxpayers know about this traveling band? Oskeewowwow!