Iona College

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
Since I was a kid, the old joke about IONA was that it stands for Idiots of North Avenue. Having attended the school, I see where the joke comes from. I feel that IONA goes above and beyond the call of duty in keeping the joke?s truth alive. I feel this way and point to the following conclusions I made through my experience as evidence. IONA?s administration rivals a 1970s New York City DMV in bureaucratic inefficiency. This alone should make the school worthy of the infamous alternate contents of the IONA acronym. Alas, there is more! They have a roster of teachers who create more problems in the classroom than BP did in the Gulf of Mexico. The environment is about as friendly to intellectuals as a Jersey Shore House Party hosted by Mike ?The Situation.?

I find the overall atmosphere extremely unwelcoming. It feels like you walk in a stranger and walk out a stranger. I make tons of friends everywhere I go but I did not at IONA. Not one person. Students seem to coalesce into established cliques and act real smarmy and condescending or just plain cold towards outsiders. I remember one time I was early for a first class and there was another student in the room. I said hello and introduced myself. He ignored me as if no one was in the room. He even did this after I told him ?F___ you? as a response to his behavior. Like I said, I find the overall atmosphere extremely unwelcoming. I would describe the social scene at IONA as embarrassingly bad. The main social outlet seems to be mindless barhopping practiced by the cliquey student body. The college reeks of a putrid culture of alcoholic jocks with narrow-minded ?Father Knows Best? sensibilities. I also find the student body to be rabidly anti-intellectual. I see a severe lack of education in philosophy, economics, and political thought among the history students. The university is very right wing and you can find yourself the subject of contempt from many students for expressing views outside the Fox News mindset. I find that the teachers are often unreasonable and dealing with them can be a major nuisance. Even though some are friendly, they usually have quirks and lousy teaching abilities that destroy any redeeming quality that may bring. I have even heard teachers make mistakes on basic facts that I knew in High School. If I had all the thumbs in the world, I would arch them all towards the floor in a tidal wave of ?thumbs down? for IONA University.