In the past week, I’ve heard a lot about “I’m Shmacked” and their event they're planning on holding right here in Ames, IA. Prior to this week, I had never heard about this, and once I did a quick google search, I understand the critics who are against this event.

For the readers that don’t know, "I’m Shmacked" was started by two men in their twenties a few years ago. They travel to different college campuses and throw a party in a large venue. Students purchase a ticket for $35 dollars. (Or that’s the price in Ames) Once the party starts, the camera starts filming. Here's a clip from their Halloween video they did in Iowa City at the U of I:

Now Iowa is used to being known as a party university. For the past few years they've been ranked 5th for party schools in the United States. But what exactly is Iowa State's reputation? Iowa State is ranked below 100 and we've really never been known as a giant party school.

The "I'm Shmacked" event could change everything. With the release of the video, the attitude towards Iowa State University would drastically change. Students would no longer see us as a Number #1 college to receive a degree in more than 100 different majors, rather they would see us as a party school.

There are some main issues that arise on campuses that have held "I'm Shmacked" Events.

1. Campus Riots

The University of Delaware had a riot after a 2013 "I'm Shmacked" party. Reportedly, the people who were running in the streets jumped on cars, knocked down signs and had over 75 police officers report to help university police handle with the riot.

Now Iowa State already had a controversial riot the last time we had VEISHA, so what would the university do in response now?

2. Alcohol Consumption

Binge drinking has become a staple with some college students because the time most students begin to consume alcohol is when they go away to college. (Whether they're the legal age or not.) Binge drinking can be defined as 4 drinks or more for women and 5 drinks or more for men in a short period of time, i.e. an hour. "I'M SHMACKED" literally is saying "I'm drunk," and the videos show girls and guys drinking hard liquor straight from the bottle. They aren't paying attention to the amount of alcohol they are consuming, which can lead to hospitalization and death.

3. Portrayal of the Greek Community

When fraternities at James Madison rightfully turn away the cameras from their parties, the upset founder of "I'm Shmacked" took to Twitter and talked negatively about the greek life there. Instead, they went to apartments that weren't affiliated with greek chapters, and shot their film there. Since they never explicitly say where they went to get their videos, the common misconception is that they are filming within the greek community. The greek system has recognized the risks of "I'm Shmacked" and I know that the Fraternities and Sororities at Iowa State have encouraged their members to stay away from the event, should it happen.

4. Enforcing College Stereotypes

My biggest "beef" with the founder of "I'm Shmacked" is the unrealistic image that he paints for college bound students everywhere. He shows giant parties (that almost never happen) and convinces the high schoolers watching the videos that all students drink, do drugs and party like they do in the video. This unrealistic pressure also has the average college student asking themselves: Am I doing college right? Above all, it takes the focus away from the positive things these colleges are doing and focuses instead on the negative stereotypes. When will videos meant to help kids scout colleges be about the adventures that await them?

*Choose your adventure at Iowa State*

So the real question is, will this event come to Ames, or nah?

For our colleges reputation, I vote nah.