Update: As of 12:55 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16, the opinions and views reflected in this piece are from an outside perspective of what the writer believes goes on within the residence.
Looming over Bunting & Grand Mesa’s parking lot like a creepy castle on top of a foggy hill, the notorious Treehouse has become an increasing annoyance to many on-campus residents.
The residency is home to seven boys, a majority of which are student-athletes. When housing that amount of testosterone, rumors and controversy are bound to arise.
When given the opportunity to write about the Treehouse, I wanted to avoid addressing the generations of rumors that have determined the reputation of the house.
Instead of contributing to the discussion of whether or not the concept of the Treehouse or the cleanliness of the boys is benefiting student life; I wanted to focus more on the location of the house and how its presence affects the student’s time on campus, especially the Bunting Hall residents.
Aside from the copious amounts of garbage and litter that only portray a reflection of how little Colorado Mesa University (CMU) advocates for a sustainable community, the location of the residency is the prime disturbance.
Having a house that has been designed to be for parties and consuming felonious amounts of alcohol in a college parking lot that is notorious to have young and vulnerable freshmen walking at night is quite frankly, an abhorrent idea.
Not to mention the consistent large gatherings where people are said to be always touching shoulder to shoulder. Claims have been made that the boys of the house have lessened the party invites since the pandemic. Though, I question how accurate that statement seems to be when Bunting seems to have become the lot that never sleeps.
Hopefully, the residents who are primarily upperclassmen find the means to improve upon their mannerisms. This would begin to introduce a safer and more welcoming environment for generations of incoming freshmen who are obviously more susceptible to negative influences.
If nothing else, a shift in mannerisms would encourage a more positive reputation for the student-athletes at CMU.
This article is inappropriate!
As a close friend to the boys that live there, this is a gross misrepresentation of their character. They are some of the most respectful, kind, caring men I have ever known, and no change in their mannerisms is needed. Quite honestly, it is the uninvited and unwelcome party guests who turn the Treehouse’s weekends sour. I advise you take into consideration that these boys allow people into their home in hopes that everyone will have fun, and they never complain about the disgusting messes they are left to clean, or the never ending repairs they have to make due to others’ disrespect of their personal property.
As a parent who has been incredibly familiar with some of the young male athletes who reside in this house since my daughter’s freshman year, I’m appalled at the one sided, direct attack by a student on hers/his/theirs peers and classmates. In the 3 years my daughter has been active on campus, I cannot count the number of times one of the young men from this house went out of their way to make sure she (as well as several other young women) have gotten to her dorm safely (Bunting during her first year). Clearly based on the contents of this article the SJPs Journalistic Code of Ethics has not been followed. Let’s start with ‘Minimize Harm’ – this article definitely does not balance the public’s need for information while balancing against harm or discomfort. The author clearly showed no compassion for those who might be affected by his/hers/theirs coverage. And the right that private people, the occupants of this house whose, while not specifically named, identity was released by calling out the name of their house along with a picture have a greater right than a journalist to control personal information. While I appreciate this being an opinion piece, as an educational institute, teaching those participating in the journalism process should be more important than letting something this inappropriate be published for the student body to read.
How is the article constructive at all? Change mannerisms?? Seems like this article is extremely biased towards the sustainability council considering this is now the second article I’ve seen published that speaks on behalf of the SC. Aside from garbage you fail the mention any negative affects this house has that are more superior than any other house full of college students that like to drink.
It would be nice if this paper could filter articles that are completely ridiculous, and literally pointless. What do you gain from publishing this?
Perhaps you should do something more constructive about this “issue” rather than slander 7 boys you don’t know.
This is blown way out of proportion. This article is offensive and attacking. This makes the whole campus and institute look weak. Colorado Mesa has a strong knit student body that cares for one another without bringing each other down. Whether this is a personal vendetta or just a strong opinion, making litter from the Treehouse out to be the biggest problem facing our campus is just outright lazy. Let’s support our student body though the tough times we’ve faced in the pandemic and celebrate the little bits of fun we are still allowed as students. Be better.
As a student at Colorado Mesa University I do not understand the need for a party house on campus. Honestly, the house should be bulldozed to make room for more parking. Seriously the house is in the middle of a university parking lot. CMU’s staff is working hard to monitor and test students for COVID-19. For some reason, the student athlete residents of the “Treehouse” think that having parties during the COVID-19 pandemic is a good idea. They are literally partying across the street from CMU’s COVID-19 testing center. This proves the lack of respect the treehouse residents have, and is a slap in the face to the CMU community. The students who live in the dorms across the street should not be disrupted or disturbed by their neighbors; even if it is a weekend.
If the students who live in the “Treehouse” respected our school they would not host ANY parties on campus. If the students who party in this house are offended, maybe they should refer to the schools policy regarding drugs and alcohol on campus. Perhaps the student athletes would perform better in their respective sports, if they did not party so hard.
Also the “generations of rumors” regarding the house are rape accusations from parties hosted here. The house should be bulldozed along with its negative reputation to make way for a brighter CMU. If the young men have as much character as they and everyone else claim they do, then they should have no problem finding a new home.