“You go to Chico State? Wow, I didn’t realize you liked to party,” said anyone I have ever spoken to about college. Just because Playboy generated a list of the biggest party schools in 1987 and Chico State happened to rank No. 1 does not mean I chose this school for that reason solely.
That list was published almost 30 years ago, and students are still having to defend the college they carefully picked to be their home for four years of their lives.
People choose to look past how involved our students are on campus.
Chico State has 22 fraternities and sororities, both Panhellenic and multicultural; The Orion, an award-winning newspaper; an outstanding athletic department, ranked no. 6 nationwide, and an endless number of clubs that always welcome new members.
Volunteer opportunities pour out from every crack at Chico State.
Community Action Volunteers in Education, otherwise known as CAVE, is made up of more than 2,000 students helping serve 33,000 clients annually. Students become deeply rooted in a community and learn that their actions can affect others around them.
Chico State professors strive for their students to have a voice, whether it is the popular opinion or not.
Most classes require students to interact with the community. For example, the course "American Government: National, State and Local" requires students to choose a topic they are interested in and research that topic throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, students must attend a town hall meeting and engage with community members. This is only one of many classes that encourage participation in the community.
Most importantly, Chico State helps create a sense of unity throughout the campus.
The Cross Cultural Leadership Center develops leadership skills by recognizing the richness brought about by diversity.
Having organizations like this on campus assists with making students feel like they are wanted at Chico State and generates a feeling of importance when choosing to be a part of organizations similar to Cross Cultural Leadership Center.
Ultimately, the students are the ones who choose their path while attending Chico State. Should they choose to find a raging party, then they are letting the rest of us fall into the same stereotype.
It is sad to think that one bad apple, or Playboy, in this case, has ruined Chico State’s reputation.
