To be entirely honest, I came to Radford as a last resort. I knew nothing about the school; I came here on the urging of my guidance counselor because this is his alma mater. I got a lot of taunts from my fellow seniors in high school about how Radford is the big STD school and the party school. Well, I got here, and I found out that such rumors were baseless and outright stupid. This is a much better school than one may have been told.

My number one choice was Mary Washington College, a small, public college in Fredericksburg, Virginia, just an hour outside of Washington, D.C. Next was Washington and Lee, and then University of Richmond. Well, Washington and Lee did not want me, and the other two put me in their “active files,” meaning they turned me into a number and hid me in a drawer. Radford was the first institution to treat me like a student--better yet: a person and not just a tuition payer.

That said, I want to completely demolish the stereotypes that have been circulating. First, what is a stereotype? I could be real sociological here, but, since I have no desire to go into such semantics, I will tell you that a stereotype is, at best, a lame joke. At worst, it is utter laziness and lunacy. We as humans label things, especially people and the institutions we create, because most of the time actually figuring something out takes too much time. A few minutes or so, big deal, right? It is for some people, or at least they conceive it to be. So, we label things so we can pretend that we understand them.

As was mentioned before, Radford is not as much of a party school as one may think. There is just as much if not less partying here than there is at Virginia Tech, for instance. I know a lot of students who go to Tech on the weekends because of the “lame scene here.” I have known a few to make the trek to Liberty and Emory and Henry as well.

One might have been told that everyone at Radford is drunk all the time. FALSE. I, for one, am living proof. There are plenty of others like me. I have not seen any students come into class smelling like they were sampling Grandpa’s cough medicine. I know lots of people who go out on the weekend and do not have one solitary drop. Yes, there are people who drink at Radford. There are people who drink and get drunk at every school. It cannot be avoided. One of my friends said that his teacher would dim the lights on Monday morning because she assumed that everyone had hangovers. A professor. Please.

Honestly, where did the STD malarkey come from? The source of stereotypes in society has been an interest of mine for quite some time. I have heard everything from “we are the number one STD school in the state” to “we are number seventeen.” THERE ARE NO RANKINGS. We are just as prone to spreading such diseases as is any other school.

Don’t believe what is told to you about this school until you learn it first-hand. This is college, my friends. Being infantile and stereotyping may have worked in that foolishness called high school, but it won’t work here. There are no cliques at Radford. Everyone respects everyone. Pathetic labels won’t fly anymore at this school.

Name: Aimee Rush
Year: 1999
Major: print journalism
Comments:
As an alumnus and a woman, I have to give my two cents worth on this one. I will keep it short and say that I agree in part...While interviewing the band FIGHTING GRAVITY, thier former sax player asked me "Where do you go to school?" I said "I go to Radford, but I'm NOT a 'Radford Girl'!" With a stone cold sober face, he said to me "Yeah, that's what all Radford Girls say...right before they get on the bus with us..." I was so incredibly offended by his outright pompous, crass attitude. It still frustrates me because I was NEVER what people call a "Radford Girl," and I attended RU for 3 years.

Comments:
When I was first accepted to Radford, I attended another school and then another. The reputation and rumors of RU put a damper on my excitment and desire to attend this uniersity. However, after two years of trying to find my nitch, Radford still was willing to take a chance with me. They still believed that I could contribute something tho their university and vice versa. RU took a leap of faith with me and I am so glad they did. I graduate this year and have Radford's belief and faith in me to thank for that. Not many university's are willing to do that.

Comments:
Ok, for a long time I was a proponent of this school like Jeff is now. I came to RU because I had little ambition and merely wanted a college degree. I was disgusted by what outsiders would say about the school that I came to love and appreciate. I am also not a partyer. But the longer I am here, the less I wish to be an RU apologist and the more I agree with the outside criticism, yet not solely about the partying. I am stunned about how dumb a great deal of my fellow students. Not only are they dumb, they don’t care to learn. They don’t care to think. Before you dismiss me out of hand, remember I said “a great deal”, not all, not even most. One of my history professors told me that once a student stopped her after class and asked her what Europe was. I could site hundreds of examples. I have been here a while. I think too many people came here for the same reason I did- to get a college degree for a job. I think I have moved beyond that and have come to appreciate thinking and education. One thing is for sure, given the chose again I would NEVER come to this place, despite the pleasant surroundings.

Name: Brian
Comments:
When I first came to Radford, I didn't know what to believe about the rumors. I didn't think that they would be true. In most cases, they weren't. I just believe that you as an individual have a say in how you deal with the environment around you. I will be the first to admit that over the last two years I have found out that I am not the partying type. If you want the rumors to be reality, that is your choice, but if you don't, don't live that way. Radford is a good place to learn about life, no matter what. I believe that I wouldn't be the same person that I am today if it wasn't for the last two years there. My only advice would be the following: Find people to hang out with that support you in what you believe in, don't settle for not speaking up.

Name: jewel
Year: sophomore
Comments:
I am proud to say that I am transfering to Raford in the fall from a comm. college. I was dead set against going to Radford because of all the rumors. I had my heart set on going to the University of Tennessee but after I saw my tuition bill I had to visit Radford. Not only did I finally choose Radford over Tennessee because of money but because I felt at home when I visited there. And I finally grew up and realized that every school has partying and you do what you wanna do when you are at school.

Name: Jenn
Comments:
I was even told by someone that you could get an STD from the water...give me a break!

Name: PeeR
Comments:
Thanks for your comments, Luke. That's cool to hear that you're looking at RU for what they offer, not how you can get trashed. I admire that. Thanks for your comments!

Name: Luke Wold
Year: junior in high school
Major: undecided
Comments:
Im a junior in high school, still trying to make the college choice. Radfors is a the top of my list for several reasons, none of which have to do with the party scene or any "ease" of acceptance. When I tell my friends here on the west coast where i plan to attend, they assume every college in virginia is a dead serious institution, speaking Latin and such. Just so you know that you dont have a bad rep on this side of the country Luke

Name: David Shifflett
Year: Senior
Comments:
Jeff, Although you might think that the schools reputation is not improving, it is indeed doing just that. Dr. Covington has had quite a hand in this process. Unfortunately, rumors and stereotypes are not easily dispelled. It's going to take some time, but RU will eventually shed itself of those stereotypes. No longer are we accepting the less than average highschool applicant. One reason that RU becamse such a big "party school" in the 80's and early 90's is because of the quality of students that attended. Now, I belive the average freshman GPA is above 3.0. Thus, the higher quality students result in a higher quality school. I know several of my younger brothers friends who applied to Radford and were denied. They were astounded that they were not accepted. No longer is RU, "easy to get into." It is no longer the "last resort" school that it was in years past. By people being rejected, it strengthens the schools reputation and shows people that it isn't a pushover to be accepted here anymore. As for the reputation of the students themselves, well that of course is up to the students. Your actions, appearance, and behavior are all factors on how other people percieve you. If people want change, the the PEOPLE have to make it happen. Positive change will only result from positive ACTIONS. While your article is a great start, it is not enough. The students that will be here for 2,3, and 4 more years will have to step forward. And, the alumni must present a positive image when they leave. However slow the process may be, I believe that one day RU will be free of all the lame, and ignorant stereotypes that have been placed upon it.