By Danielle Tarloff
A local alternative weekly recently took a “dig” at Northeastern, naming NU students “Best College Rowdies” in its annual “Dig This” awards.
The article in The Weekly Dig refers to Northeastern students as the “Huntington Huns,” a “population unencumbered by trivial notions of social decorum.”
Administrators, however, said such a characterization is unfair to students.
“That’s ridiculous. It is a total mischaracterization of Northeastern students,” said Ed Klotzbier, vice president for student affairs.
Freshman international affairs major Brendan Totten, however, was not so quick to dismiss the accusations.
“I think that’s a minority of students here. I don’t think that it’s all of Northeastern. But it definitely happens. That’s fairly accurate for that minority group. It doesn’t surprise me,” he said.
The article describes keg rolling, crowded parties and rowdy behavior as typical of NU students.
Northeastern gained the reputation of a “rowdy” school after several riots following sporting events took place near campus. After the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2004, thousands crowded Hemenway Street, tipping cars and lighting fires.
One brother of a student was killed after an SUV, driven by an area resident, plowed through the celebrating crowd. Later that year, riots erupted again after the Red Sox won the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove was killed by a police officer’s stray pepper spray projectile during the riots.
The runners-up for “Best of College Rowdies” were nearby Boston College and Boston University, the two other large colleges in the Boston area.
Sophomore Natalie Chudacoff said it’s only natural for college students to party.
“It’s slightly unfair, but it’s not like college kids to not be rowdy,” the psychology major said. “Any college is going to crowd basements and, well, not necessarily flip cars, but have parties.”
Administrators said they are curious as to why Northeastern is still singled out as the most raucous of the many Boston area universities.
“A lot of what’s referred to are things that occurred several years ago,” Director of Communications Fred McGrail said. “Significant changes have happened since then. We are continuing to change to get rid of this image.”
Klotzbier also said he felt the magazine’s statements were no longer relevant.
“NU students are the most mature, engaged students in Boston. I see that every day in my job. Employers who hire Northeastern and other students always say that NU students are the most mature and responsible,” he said.
McGrail said he isn’t taking the opinions of The Dig to heart.
“I don’t take it seriously. It’s not a publication to take seriously nor does it expect to be taken seriously,” said McGrail.
The “Dig This” awards were mostly focused on dining, bars and shopping, but also included the “best place to ogle talent” and the “best human circus.”
“If it was something like The Boston Globe that had printed that, then I think that I would take that a little more seriously,” Totten said.
