Princeton Review: Lawrenceville campus is ‘tiny, unsightly’

By Valerie Cedeno

While taking a trip across the Lawrenceville’s “tiny” and “unsightly” campus, be sure to have a stay in one of its “dorms” that are like “dungeons.”

If the Princeton Review were to make a travel brochure for Rider, these are probably some of the descriptions it would include. Over the summer, the Review released its annual top 20 lists and Rider was highlighted, but for the wrong reasons.

The Review ranked Rider as one of the most unattractive campuses within the “quality of life” topic — No. 10 for being “tiny, unsightly, or both.” Rider was also ranked No. 17 in the “dorms are like dungeons” category.

The lists were based upon student feedback provided to the Review, which solidifies some student opinions when asked about student life beyond academics.

Junior Alexandra Samuel blames the unattractive rankings on the apathetic attitude toward environment within the student body.

“It’s a shame that Rider’s campus is considered so ugly,” said Samuel. “I wish that students took more pride in our campus and didn’t make such a mess. If we took better care of it, maybe it wouldn’t end up being so ugly.”

Senior Laura Johnson was perplexed to hear that Rider’s ranking was so low after many upgrades have been made.

“Before renovations, yeah, I could have seen that [the poor ranking], she said. “But now, it’s nicer and much more beautiful. I’ve seen a lot worse.”

Alumnus Anthony Greco, class of 2006, offered kudos instead of the criticism brought upon by the Review.

“Honestly, I wish the school was this nice when I was there,” said Greco. “[President Mordechai] Rozanski has done a tremendous job in revamping the campus.”

Junior Kellianne Moodhe believed the knock on Rider is because of the students’ lack of creativity.

“I don’t think the dorms look like dungeons,” said Moodhe. “If you don’t decorate, then it will probably look dull, but if you input a little effort, it can even seem homey. The dorms are what you make of it.”

Joining other institutions in the top 10 surprised many students, but also put a jolt in faculty and administration.

“Rider’s campus is something we should be proud of and we should be proud to show it off to interested students,” said Patricia Lutz, executive assistant to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Frederick Turner, professor of communication, summed up the overall reaction.

“I certainly don’t think we are that bad by far,” he said.

Additional Reporting by Mike Caputo and Leo Rommel