ABSTRACT
Affluent students — both in and out-of-state — often requested rooms in party dorms, based on the recommendations of their similarly social siblings and friends. Party dorms are a pipeline to the Greek system, which dominates campus life. Partying is particularly costly for students of lesser means, who need to grow up sooner, cannot afford to be financially irresponsible, and need the credentials and skills that college offers. When a party pathway is the most accessible avenue through a university, it is easy to stumble upon, hard to avoid, and it crowds out other pathways. Collectively, the priorities of public universities and other higher education institutions that support "party pathways" should be challenged. If public universities are forced to rely on tuition and donations for funding, they continue to appeal to those who can pay full freight. In an era of declining state funding, schools like Midwest U have raised tuition and recruited more out-of-state students.
