Christian Herrera Anthro 104

Wheres the Party at: Exploring the culture of the college party scene

For many parents, sending their sons or daughters to college represents their initiation into adulthood. In many aspects this interpretation makes sense; the student takes on more responsibilities like managing a budget or simply living on their own. While for most students college does represent their first major step into the real world, many view the transition to college as liberation from the restraints and limits that their parents would normally exert on them. It represents a time of new experiences, whether they be beneficial or not, that affects how the student perceives the world and how the world will perceive them. During this time of growth, their main subjects for interaction will almost exclusively be other college students. How they interact with each other is strictly dictated by a set of norms and procedures vis--vis the popularized culture of the college life. Nowhere is this culture more apparent and discernible then in the setting of a college house party. The simple goal of this short ethnography is to observe the traditions and rules of engagement involved in college party culture by providing a glimpse into the college party scene. It will also be necessary to interpret how the social values and expectations enforced in todays society are reflected in this situation. When one reflects on the nature of parties, one is inclined to say that parties are thrown in order to celebrate an event or an accomplishment. These usually involve passing the time with friends and relatives. However, when one considers parties in the context of college parties these

traits no longer apply. There is no particular reason for throwing a college party, with the exception of the occasional birthday party, but even in those cases the fact that it is the persons birthday plays a much smaller, secondary role. The partiers are also usually total strangers except for the few friends that accompany you. So why have parties in the first place? One can argue that it is for the same reason that bars offer their services but the two are actually very dissimilar. The difference is that bars are legitimate businesses that make substantial profits and are strictly regulated. While on the other hand the hosts of the house party rarely make a large enough profit to justify all the damage and mess done to their property, not to mention the risk associated with the legality of the whole situation. So now we are back to the question of why people choose to host parties and I believe it actually has a simple answer; there exists a desire among the young college culture to reach a higher status in the hierarchy of said culture. The common assumption exists that by hosting many successful parties and being known for such is something that will propel ones position upwards as compared to that of our peers. I also believe this is one of the reasons students attend these social functions, but that will be discussed later in the essay. This assumption in and of itself appears to stem from the edicts of the college culture and is passed down from generation to generation through many vectors, one of them being the media. When examined, this axiom of the culture is present for a reason and it serves an important purpose, which benefits the many subjects of the culture. Looking strictly at the resources and labor invested and gained from hosting a party many, if not all, would advise against it and then there would be no parties. This is why the culture has developed incentives like the improvement of status, so that there is a means of justification for having the party. There is also the question of why people attend parties. When questioned on this subject people would give very diverse answers such as, To have fun and make friends or We go to

parties to do drugs, drink alcohol, and maybe get laid. So the main reason for going out to parties appears to be the act of meeting new people and socializing, but also out of the people interviewed most agree that they did not meet their close friends at parties. This appears contradictory at first glance but when one examines the type of socializing that actually goes on it becomes clear that people arent there to make platonic friendships. The goal changes to simply engage in sex not make long lasting relationships. This theorys credibility is based on many aspects of the culture, from the way people dress to the way people act at parties as opposed to everyday life. As a girl whom I interviewed so eloquently stated, We are the reason guys come out and as a girl you are expected to look good; the sluttier the better, it gets competitive. There exist other places to meet a potential mate but going out and partying is the preferred method in the college culture. The party environment, according to those who frequent it, facilitates the finding of a hook-up immensely. There are certain aspects and characteristics of the party setting that are responsible, one of those being the ever-present alcohol. It aint a party without booze, said a 21 year old guy. This statement can be taken quite literally due to the fact that besides music, it is the most critical feature of a party. In fact in all my personal experiences at parties during this research, there were copious amounts of alcohol and as soon as it ran out the party would be basically over. The purpose that alcohol serves at a party is indeed its ability to intoxicate, and the effects of this intoxication are what create the environment that so many seek. By getting drunk the individuals inhibitions are easily forgotten and they do things that they wouldnt do under normal circumstances. People become more open to others and more focused on the present then on any consequences down the road. It is these traits that

lure individuals to these events such as this young man stated, People are easier to talk to at a party especially girls, I would be way more intimidated to talk to a chick at any other place. Although sex is an obvious reason for attending a party it is not the only one. Just as people host parties in order to raise their status, people also attend parties for the same reason. Attending a party does not usually result in a gain of prominence of the same magnitude that hosting a party does but one cannot be expected to always be the host. Furthermore, some do not have a high enough position within the social structure to even go about throwing a successful party and consequently for them the only other option is to attend one. There is always the ever present need among those in the culture to fit in or assimilate and there is no better indication of that then to feel the admiration of your peers. In the context of the college life culture, admiration is gained mainly through notoriety, which in turn is most easily achieved through going to or hosting parties. House parties are one of the main vehicles for the improvement of peoples standings within the social hierarchy of the college life culture. They provide a setting in which whatever actions individuals take are highly visible to many of their peers, be they good or bad. People who wouldnt normally be around to witness such displays are present and just waiting for something like a fight or other dramatic event. However not every college student is keen to go to parties and the reasons behind this are as different as the reasons to go to a party in the first place. Some choose not to partake because they disagree with the way people act when at parties, while others arent comfortable with the pressures involved to take part in certain acts. A girl interviewed said, As soon as you step in people judge you and it gets uncomfortable. They treat you like an object, like some piece of meat. The same characteristics that attract some to the parties also deter others. The fact that parties arent typically an ideal place to form meaningful long term relationships puts a lot of

people off. This is also the reason why individuals who are older arent drawn to a typical house party scene. There also exists a certain expectation that if you choose to attend the party you have to take part in certain acts. Things like drinking, doing drugs, and having sex are activities that some are not willing to be a part of. These individuals often find other ways to fulfill their need to socialize and a whole anti-party culture develops were people who share this same opinion will interact with each other. The irony of all this is that in many cases these individuals will have get-togethers similar to the afore mentioned parties except in their own terms, because no matter how much people try to hide it they will always have an innate desire to belong. The college culture is particularly interesting to research because it involves so many opposing points of view; what some may value others may reject. However, there is a desire to belong prevalent in most students who attend college. Even those who dont go to parties still wish to participate in smaller social situations where they feel more comfortable. But what about those who do go to parties? Why do they subject themselves to the judgment and social pressures of others to conform to the idealizations of the college culture? According to a young man interviewed this need for conforming is more prevalent than many would like to admit. He said, people go to parties to fit in, they say they dont care what others think but everyone does, some more than others. This dependence on others for self-esteem and acceptance is something that has been extensively studied already and is a cause of great concern in those cases where students have ultimately committed suicide because of it. In many ways the college cultures push for individuals to reach the top of the social structure is reflected in the value that contemporary American culture places on individualism.