A love/hate relationship

So, this column was originally meant as a letter-to-the-editor...but I decided 150 words weren’t enough. The letter was titled “6 reasons why Towson…Sucks”. I picked three of those reasons to talk about in my first Smackdown article. Don’t get me wrong. I have had an amazing time at Towson. I undoubtedly enjoyed my college experience to the fullest. With that said, this school has a lot of potential to be so much better. Here are a few reasons why Towson doesn’t compare to other universities.

1. The first reason is the bars uptown. It all started with the shutting down of Paolo’s and Mia’s. For the younger readers, Paolo’s and Mia’s were two Towson bars that guaranteed a crazy time. If you had a fake ID made on your friends’ computer these were the places for you. Paolo’s offered a ridiculous night of dirty dancing and cheap beer while Mia’s offered countless nights of blackouts and regrets (always followed by a large pizza and cheese fries at Pizans). Nightlife in Towson will never be restored without these symbolic establishments. Sure, the surviving bars are still fun, but are they anything like Paolo’s? Let’s just hope club Dicky’s can help uptown make a comeback.

2. My next weakness in Towson is the sports. In the three and a half years I’ve gone to this school my most exciting sports moment was Towson basketball making the semi-finals of the CAA tournament. While this was an exciting moment for Towson athletics, I’m sure my roommates and I were some of the only ones watching the game. I want to tailgate the football games with the intention of actually going inside. Instead, the moment Towson cops force people to stop drinking, everyone is deciding whether to head back to The Village, go to The Colony or just go back home to pass out. I’m not sure if it’s the coaches, the players or the school itself, but something needs to change. It’s hard to have Towson pride without having a team to be proud of. I want my dreams to come true of painting my chest, tailgating for 10 hours, and going crazy on college game day.

3.    This dream brings me to my third and final reason why Towson isn’t all that great. Tailgating. Grandpa Caret, I challenge you to go to any other college’s tailgate for a sporting event. Go drink on the streets of James Madison. Go tailgate with the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. Go enjoy the insane festivities at WVU. Go to Delaware, our so-called rival school, where they actually look forward to watching the game. You will be ashamed of the tailgates at Towson. The 21 year olds being threatened by cops for having more than a six-pack? With all due respect, just because you’re a light weight doesn’t mean everyone else is. I’m sure the entire Towson faculty has experienced their four years of college where they partied, got drunk and had a great time. Let us enjoy the same college experience. I’m not saying it’s suitable to promote underage drinking or to allow driving under the influence. It’s possible, though, to turn the other way in some situations or make some compromises that allow everyone to have a good time.

There are great things about the University, but if this school is aiming to compete with schools like Delaware and University of Maryland, some things need to change. If all of these other universities can have such great times, why can’t we?

 

1 comments

Tu Alumni

Tue Nov 3 2009 22:01

Seriously? You are taking up an issue with the nightlife and tailgating because if those things were better towson would be a better school? First off, TU has NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING to do with the nightlife in Towson. Second, then bringing up the tailgating...really are you just looking for a place to get sloppy and have a good time? Because there is plenty of that. Why should TU be responsible for how sloppy you can get? And in all seriousness, coming from an alumni in the professional world working in HR, this article makes you what we call "unemployable". Keep up with wanting your college experience to be centered around drinking, and stuff like this is not going to make employers take you seriously.

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