MBAs Behaving Badly

2008_10_23_kellogg.jpgIt seems that business school kids are having more fun than we thought. According to an email posted on the blog Dealbreaker, it seems that some students from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management went a little wild during a recent party at the Field Museum. Kellogg students have been rumored to favor a good time, but things got a little too crazy at their recent CIM Ball, resulting in, among other things, the Field Museum's decision to shut down the open bar. According to the email, sent from Andrea Hanson, VP of Social & Cultural of the Kellogg Student Association, the behavior included:

  • Students were throwing things at a historic artifact: Sue, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which The Field Museum purchased for over $8.3 million
  • Students were vomiting on themselves and on the Field Museum Floors
  • Students were spitting at people
  • Students attempted to smuggle in a substantial amount of alcohol (large trash bins full of bottles and cans and flasks)
  • Students passed out in high-traffic areas
  • Students arrived at an open bar event already too overserved
Now, while all inappropriate for a setting like the Field Museum, some of those don't seem too outlandish. Showing up drunk and sneaking in flasks? Typical college (or Chicagoist writer) behavior. But spitting on people? Throwing things at Sue? That does cross a line. A contact at the Field Museum said that the Museum does not comment on private events, so we'll take Andrea's word for it. Still, these kids have a long way to go to catch up to the shenanigans of the University of Wisconsin marching band.

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What do you expect? Some of these budding business people--not all, of course, but some--likely are realizing they will have fewer chances to pocket millions from glorified pyramid schemes of the type that have collapsed and screwed so many of us. I guess I would be driven to drink as well. Let's not be too hard on these people. I mean, they might actually have to rent for a few more years. Or do meaningful work.

I'm pretty sure the average age of these students is around 28 years. In other words, too old to pull shit like this.

I can only imagine the sense of entitlement that's behind this sort of behavior. Keep it classy, Kellogg!

ahhhhh a creme du la creme midwest schoool

Really? A two story tornado of claws and teeth, Earth's most vicious predator and it can't handle some plastic cups?

The people that work at the Field are WAYYYY too uptight. Why, I'd bet they would even date you for eight months, nitpick everything, and finally just drive you insane.

Well, screw that, Em... I mean, Sue! I'm not taking it anymore!

user-pic

Maybe MBA stands for Masters of Beer Appreciation (ala Goose Island)

Wait! Chicagoist writers have flasks??

I went to a corporate event (BPAMACO) at the Field back when the Cleopatra exhibit was in town. BP ran that thing like clockwork and good times, and some drinkies, were had by all.

The diploma mill folks should have been arrested and shown the softer side of 26th can California. Tossing shit at a T-Rex skeleton? That's beyond drunk, we're in stupid country.

Face it, none of these behaviors is exactly unusual for a group of college kids -- maybe not even for graduate students. Neither are they particularly inappropriate (under certain circumstances). What makes these behaviors completely and utterly unacceptable is where they happened. The Field Museum houses wonderful and priceless artifacts -- not a good place to throw a kegger! Imagine if real damage had been done to something like Sue!

Because of their incredibly poor judgment concerning where it is appropriate to throw their drunk-fest, I think their behavior is considerably worse than anything the UW Band may (or may not) have done. In the case of the UW Band, they were acting like college students (drunk & horney) on a trip to play at a college football game. For that matter, their behavior wasn't that much different than quite a few alumni I've seen over the years too. So why is anyone surprised by these allegations?

(In the interest of full disclosure, I'm only 3 years removed from being an undergrad at UW-Madison).

Hey 'dere. Ya see, this here's what happens when some small town folks finally make it in the big city. Sure, yeah? They can't help themselves.

Okay, when I got to the part about throwing things at Sue I had to go lie down for a little while.

Seriously though; WTF? There's just certain lines you just don't cross no matter how drunk you are. It takes a special sort of individual to think any of this behaviour is okay.

user-pic

Typical behavior for an event like this as are the comments.

Kellogg doesn't admit anyone who hasn't had at least two years of college experience - these are MBA students who have had some experience out here in the real world. If it were a bunch of 21 year olds, I would say poor judgment on behalf of the event planners. But as someone else said, the average age of these graduate students is 28, which is far beyond enough to know better.

$20 if you can get this balled up Jimmy John's wrapper in the eye socket.

A few years ago my Dad (a 3-star Navy admiral at the time) spoke at two events on the same day: in the a.m. was a visit to Lyndblom, his old high school in Englewood. Later that evening, he addressed an ROTC event for Northwestern students at the posh Knickerbocker Hotel downtown.

At Lyndblom, the kids were proud to see my dad, they were quiet when he spoke and afterwards asked him good questions, like, "why aren't women allowed on submarines." A kid proudly told my dad he'd gotten into the Naval Academy. My dad loved it. Even I shook every single student's hand.

Outside the knickerbocker that same evening a woman saw my dad in his dress uniform outside the hotel and handed him her car keys, thinking he was the valet. The students talked throughout his speech and generally behaved like jackasses. One kid walked by my dad, a 3-star, in dress, head of U.S. Submarines Atlantic, and said, "what's up?"

mikely1,

money doesn't buy class does it?

@mikely1:

Damn. Your dad must have a hell of a lot of willpower not to just start punching rich kids.

Good on him for his service by the by.

GL:

That's the depressing part. When did this sort of behaviour become "typical?"

mikely1

I think you should explain what Lindblom is because your story is wasted on most folks here, if you mean the high school that is Lindblom, not that I give a sh*t how you spell it ;-)

I love how many are attacking this instantly....greed sucks....

I am a Grad Student at NU and I will tell you this RARELY happens to this extent. They were newbies and messed up. I would COMPLETELY kick them out to make an example and show that this is NOT tolerated.

It is supposed to be the #1 Marketing/Management program pretty much in the world and needs to be presented as such. I am not making excuses for these guys/women. (not kids for sure)

But you know you people would not have made such a big deal if it was the top school to give me a break!

Oh, and btw, everyones assumptions that anyone who attends NU is "rich" or "entitled" is wrong. While yes there is a large population that fall into those buckets, I am certainly not one of those - came from a poor family.

So not all are like that....as a matter of fact that is changing.....

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