College is often seen as a time for studying, networking and independence, but let’s be honest. College, especially at Ohio University, is one of the most social times of your life, and partying is a part of the experience.
Students are surrounded by people their own age and experiencing being away from their parents for the first time, making partying a natural part of the college experience. Women’s Health even reports nights out reduce stress and help us form connections.
When I told my dad about my partying habits and the trends I was seeing among my friends and classmates, he was startled. As a 2003 graduate of OU, the idea of nights off from drinking, friends and music didn’t even occur to him. My uncle, also an early 2000s graduate of OU, used to head to Red Brick Tavern bright and early to drink 35-cent beers and do the crossword with bartenders.
The Post even reported OU was falling in the party school rankings in 2024 when they were once No. 1 in 2015. Now, USA Today puts OU at No. 20. Big party weekends at OU such as Halloween, Palmer Fest and Mill Fest have scaled back since the early 2000s, with a decrease of total rowdiness.
The decrease of partying and going out at OU and beyond is a reflection of the rise of traditionalism and wellness in pop culture and media. While partying and going out will never go away in college, the landscape is definitely changing.
For example, a wellness "darty” at the University of Florida recently went viral on TikTok, complete with yoga, running and healthy foods, showing a unique intersection between wellness culture and party life at a huge party school. USA Today writes this is just one example of Generation Z moving away from typical college house parties, drinking and bad decisions.
This connects to the rise of traditionalism in American media, pop culture and politics, which is defined as, “adherence to the doctrines or practices of a tradition … the beliefs of those opposed to modernism, liberalism, progressivism or radicalism.”
Wellness culture propelled by social media and the need to feel better than others, definitely provokes some shame about partying, staying up late and eating fast food. This, like everything else, is a reflection of the political landscape.
The Republican party once rejected healthy eating and exercising as non-American when the Democrats were promoting health and wellness, but now it's flipped. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the United States Department of Health, is all about making America healthy and natural.
The it girls on social media are also all about wellness — 10-step morning routines, exercising, reading, Pilates, matching sets and skincare. They’re not getting trashed, consuming thousands of calories in alcohol, eating greasy pizza and falling asleep in last night’s makeup.
Traditionalism and conservatism are suddenly everywhere in American media and pop culture. On social media, trad wives are promoting a culture of “traditional values like femininity and domesticity,” reverting back to the gender roles and norms of the ‘50s.
The Guardian shared Generation Z men also hold more traditional views about women and marriage. 33% of Gen Z men said husbands should always have the final word in decisions, and 24% of Gen Z men said “women should not appear too independent.” This culture shift supports traditional gender roles, challenging the modern “college experience” and reshaping what young people value.
CNN said this uptick in traditionalism is driven by politics and the conservative opposition to the liberal values of an urban and academic lifestyle. The Trump administration has welcomed this imagery and nostalgia with open arms, declaring itself the “champion of the common man,” fighting for the rights of middle-class and working Americans.
The same ideas can be applied to college party culture. Traditionalism focuses on wellness, hard work, clean living and a focus on the domestic sphere and settling down. College party culture doesn’t exactly align with these views.
This perfect storm of wellness culture, traditional values and conservative politics make today’s college party culture a lot less about going as hard as you can around the clock.
College students will obviously never stop partying, drinking and socializing, but research shows Gen Z’s shift toward being the “more sober generation” isn’t a micro-trend.
At the end of the day, Gen Z’s shift toward less partying, socializing and 9 a.m. beers doesn’t mean party culture is dead forever. Court Street isn’t going to turn into the silent floors of Alden Library overnight. Instead, party culture is adapting to a new era shaped by traditionalism, wellness culture and the current political landscape and its undertones.
Abby Shriver is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Abby about their column? Email/message them at as064024@ohio.edu / @abbyshriver_
