Pleasantly surprised

The community in which I live supports a small university. For the longest time, this school was little more than a regional school that drew students primarily from the surrounding counties. There were a few "outside" students -- but not many. It was, until recently the very definition of a "suitcase college."

A few years ago they recruited a new chancellor who had growth on his mind. (Truth be told, he saw this school as a stepping stone in his career and didn't much care what he did to people or the community so long as he moved up the ladder of his life.) For those who aren't terminally geeky - there is a population bubble of college aged folks -- so, colleges have been scrambling to expand and attract these extra kids to their schools. The big name schools, as always, can pick and choose the students they want - but the small regional schools have to find ways to attract kids.

The new chancellor decided that football would be the golden ticket. He has been talking football since he arrived. Even when people pointed to the million dollars to field a team, the multiple millions to build facilities, and the financial drain to maintain it all - he pushed and pushed and pushed. This year, they finally got football. Even though the chancellor has raised student fees at least twice to support it. And, he diverted funds from 14 new faculty positions to support it. And, there doesn't seem to be a stable long term plan for sustaining it. This weekend, they played football on campus.

I braced myself for what I assumed would happen. This school is already known for its' party atmosphere - which has only gotten worse over the years. I assumed I wouldn't sleep through the weekend because I'd be called to the ER to assist a student who had too much to drink and became a target for a perv.

And, I wasn't. Nothing. No calls. Nary a beep. Nada. Zip. Of course, lots of kids don't report immediately - so I'm not getting comfortable yet. And, just because no one showed up in the ER doesn't mean a rape didn't happen - it could just mean that it went unreported. Which worries me more.