By Matt Ern, Staff Writer
When you look up the term “Hofstra” on Urban Dictionary, you get the following less than savory definitions:
1. Private university on Long Island where the boys have popped collars, the girls have miniskirts, and both sides have the clap.
2. Verb (esp. done by a parent) To spend $42,000 a year for absolutely no reason
3. Someone who is infested with STDs, a slut/someone who sleeps around; The act of being slutty.
Searching the term “Hofstra University” returns different but only slightly more pleasant results.
These definitions reflect poorly on the quality of people searching and submitting definitions to Urban Dictionary as well as the social reputation Hofstra has. In fact, when searching for information about Hofstra on social networking websites, it’s hard to avoid references to things like “Hofstra girls” or rampant STDs. Most students tend not to believe rumors like these about the school, although they admit there’s some truth to them.
Freshman Lauren Purita says “I don’t really see people with popped collars and you really only see miniskirts at night at the bars.” When asked about the alleged slut population, she added, “It doesn’t describe everyone, but there are some girls like that.” One student, who asked to remain nameless, offered a dissenting viewpoint, “I think it’s true that people sleep around a lot here.”
Jordan Paris, a freshman, believes that “the second definition is true”, indicating his dissatisfaction with the high tuition prices at Hofstra. But fellow freshman Nicole Liccio says, “I think you get a good education here”.
Many students believe that there may be some truth to the definitions, but think that the rumors about Hofstra have been blown out of proportion. “I’ve definitely heard all these things before, but I don’t know how true they are,” says Gabrielle DiBiase, a sophomore. “I think all colleges have these problems, it’s not just Hofstra.”
Why is Hofstra singled out as being associated with STDs and sluts when these descriptions seem to fit most colleges nowadays? Not every school has a negative definition on Urban Dictionary. The top result when searching “Fordham” begins, “Probably the hardest yet smartest college on the eastern seaboard…” Hofstra’s bad reputation must come from somewhere, and Junior Joe Cart thinks there’s no mystery behind rumors like these. “I’ve heard every single one of these. They’re absolutely true,” Cart said.
Whether they’re accurate assessments of the university or exaggerations based in grains of truth, Hofstra’s Urban Dictionary definitions and reputation for STDs, sluts and expensive tuition seem firmly ingrained in the collective social minds of University students.