In August, college-reviewing agency The Princeton Review released a list of "party schools" and put the University of Wisconsin-Madison on top.

Marquette did not make the list.

The rankings are based upon survey questions about drug and alcohol use, hours of study each day, and the popularity of the Greek system, according to The Princeton Review's Web site.

Students and administrators at UW-Madison differed in their reaction to the ranking.

"Everyone was excited. We all knew that we partied," said UW-Madison sophomore Natalie Ray. "It's never quiet here. Every night, you can find a party."

But Madison students aren't 24-hour party animals, according to Ray.

"People party pretty hard and then buckle down," she said. "I look forward to Friday and Saturday nights but am here to be educated."

The administration holds the rankings in low regard.

"Drinking is an issue," said university spokesman John Lucas. "We work on it every day."

Lucas' focus, however, soon shifted to The Princeton Review's methods. "(Ranking) is a pseudo-science, a junk-science… It's unfortunate they don't spend too much time surveying students."

Lucas also said rankings such as The Princeton Review's are only one tool for incoming students to evaluate prospective schools.

"We hope all students base opinions on the whole, fuller picture," Lucas said.

In a press release, UW-Madison stated that it is currently working to strengthen alcohol policies on campus and in the city of Madison.

"…The city recently hired its first alcohol policy coordinator in a continued effort to develop a coordinated set of rules for bars and taverns," said the university's press release.

Marquette doesn't have Madison-like issues with alcohol, but it is a concern here as it is at any university, according to Rev. Andrew J. Thon, S.J., vice president of student affairs.

"As with any college or university, dealing with alcohol is a multi-faceted approach," Thon said. "For instance, you need to work well with the neighborhood taverns like Murphy's. (UW-Madison) needs to continue working with the city.

"If (Marquette) would ever be on that list, I would want to know why, what the criteria were," Thon said. "It's often the impression people have that influences such lists."

Other schools named as the top five party schools were Ohio University-Athens, Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, University of California-Santa Barbara and State University of New York at Albany.

UW-Madison was also named number three on the "Lots of Beer" and "Lots of Hard Liquor" lists and number seven for marijuana use.

While Marquette was not included in a specific ranking, it was named on the "Best in the Midwest" and "College with a Conscience" lists.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 1, 2005.,”James A. Molnar”

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