<p>WellâŠI was no angel either sylvanâŠI drank my share of beer and smoked my share of cigarettes. But that was all. Todayâs crowd, from what I can gather is another kettle of fish. Not all kids, mind you, but seemingly more of them. Its the âhooking upâ generation and they do it without guilt or compunction or concern for their health or the feelings of another human being. There were only a handful of those types in my day and they almost universally came from dysfunctional families of one stripe or another. </p>
<p>I am not just talking about Fordham. We have friends with kids just about every where: public flagships, elite privates, Ivy league and its very disconcerting the âstoriesâ their kids relay to them about dorm life and frat/sorority life. </p>
<p>At least at Fordham, for the most part, the best and brightest seem to spend their free time studying and behaving. There will always be exceptions, of course. </p>
<p>And I am also referring to articles I have read in major newspapers or magazines about kids doing horrific things to finance graduate and professional school. Very very sad. </p>
<p>I dont want to turn this thread into a moral play againâŠthat never works out too well. I just wish kids would be more protective of their health and their immortal souls, and not be in such a hurry to grow up (i.e. doing adult things at a tender age). Loss of innocence. </p>
<p>As for what makes me angry, its the sort of stuff (most of which happened Freshman Year) that makes your skin crawl. (TMI). And subjecting roomies to that sort of crap. My view is if you are bound and determined to misbehave, then for goodness sakes, have a little common decency and take it somewhere else, instead of putting your roomies at risk for all sorts of âissuesâ. </p>
<p>Upperclassmen at Fordham can pick their own roomies and thus, they can âweed outâ the bad actors quickly and live with/near people with similar values and study habits. </p>
<p>Kids that age will make mistakes. We all did. I am not a prude nor tea totaler. And Fordham is really no worse than any other school. </p>
<p>Just the other day, a friend of mine, whose kid is very sheltered, was explaining the âfreshmen folliesâ to me about her experience. And children of well to do and well mannered parents were doing shocking things, apparently, in this state flagship dorm and the parents are completely unaware of what is really going on. Its very sad.</p>