Music blares while shots of colleges whirl by—the football stadium on game day, students chugging from a bottle of vodka, girls dancing on top of a car. The campuses are different, but the themes in the videos are the same.
The short films, which celebrate campus party scenes, are a “new way to scout colleges,” says the tag line of I’m Shmacked, the party-promotion company that produces them. The company’s founders say their videos don’t promote underage drinking. But their seasonal campus tours—the company sets up parties, sells tickets, and films the events, which can lead to underage-drinking arrests and other headaches for college officials—leave administrators grappling with what to do when the I’m Shmacked circus rolls into town.
I’m Shmacked evolved from a company that simply documented college party life to one that hosts it. Now more than halfway through a 30-campus fall tour, I’m Shmacked hosts small concerts, complete with bands or DJs, which sell out at off-campus clubs that hold 1,000 to 2,000 people. Tickets are usually priced at $27 to $100. Before the events, crews of about three show up on a campus and use high-quality cameras and camera-equipped drones to shoot well-known college buildings and sports venues. They then film the off-campus parties.
In its wake, I’m Shmacked releases the videos; some have racked up a million YouTube views, advertising sometimes illegal drinking that’s no longer behind closed doors.
When I’m Shmacked made its debut video, highlighting Temple University, three years ago, its co-founders, Arya Toufanian, 22, and Jeffrie (Yofray) Ray, 21, were college students themselves—Mr. Toufanian at George Washington University and Mr. Ray at the School of Visual Arts.
The founders, like their brand, have generated their own share of controversy. Last month Mr. Ray posted on Facebook that, after recent questionable behavior on social media, including a tweet making light of rape, Mr. Toufanian was no longer part of the company. But Mr. Toufanian told The Chronicle in a recent interview that the duo remained intact and was refocusing on covering other aspects of campus life beyond partying.
Then he pointed to a video titled #SaveCuse, shot following the shutdown of a popular tailgate spot at Syracuse University, after the Princeton Review named it the No. 1 party school. With more than 85,000 views, the video exhorts students to stand up to the college administration and to save students’ right to party.
Both men are taking a break from college, but Mr. Toufanian said that he and his partner were a lot like the students in their videos.
“I’m going to finish my degree eventually. My parents are going to kill me if I don’t,” Mr. Toufanian said.
Mr. Ray did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for an interview.
Party Schools on Film
Adam E. Barry, an associate professor of health education at Texas A&M University at College Station and chair of the American College Health Association’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Coalition, called I’m Shmacked “the social-media twist on Princeton Review top-party schools.”
The behavior in the videos pieces together a binge-drinking culture that Mr. Barry said campuses are still wrestling with. I’m Shmacked’s founders say the videos are recruiting tools that can attract students. Mr. Barry said the heavy drinking in the videos could indeed be an attraction for some.
“There might be individuals who use” I’m Shmacked to select schools, Mr. Barry said, adding that they would be “people who are already engaged in excessive drinking—self-selecting these environments to continue that behavior,” he said.
The kickoff event for I’m Shmacked’s fall tour, at Coastal Carolina University, resulted in 35 arrests, though it wasn’t clear how many of those arrested were students. A 2013 I’m Shmacked appearance at the University of Delaware prompted headlines in the news media of a “near riot,” and the university’s rugby team, whose house was tied to the event, was suspended for five years.
Travis E. Overton, Coastal Carolina’s dean of students, said that while most members of the student body make good decisions, the I’m Shmacked cameras seem to bring out bad behavior.
So this year, when I’m Shmacked published its fall tour dates, many colleges started prepping.
The College of Charleston heard I’m Shmacked was coming in June and started working with local partners—the City of Charleston police and local bars—to create awareness of the company’s potential effect on underage drinking, according to Jeri O. Cabot, Charleston’s interim executive vice president for student affairs.
At Florida State University, the mid-October I’m Shmacked event will most likely have a few less-rowdy guests than normal, according to Ilese A. Weingarten, the university’s coordinator of alcohol and other drug services. She said Florida State planned to send “peer educators” to the event to remind students that being on camera might be a mistake.
Ms. Cabot said the college also tried to remind students that one night of bad decisions can have a negative impact down the road.
“More and more entities are asking for student disciplinary records. It’s not just law schools anymore, but study abroad, internships, graduate schools, government jobs,” Ms. Cabot said. “Making good choices goes beyond one night.”
Students Respond
As views of the I’m Shmacked videos on YouTube reach the hundreds of thousands, there’s been pushback from some students who worry that appearing in the videos could harm their reputations and future job searches.
Student organizations are also wrestling with how to handle I’m Shmacked’s arrival.
At the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the Association of Students passed a piece of legislation condemning the September campus visit.
“Some people have watched these videos since high school, and think this is what college is all about,” said Kevin J. Knudson, a senior who is president of the student association at Lincoln. “These videos are taken when students are usually drunk, so it’s harder to look at your behavior and make sure you want this broadcasted to the entire world.”
While there were no arrests at the I’m Shmacked event at Lincoln, the same weekend, a popular tailgating spot was the site of at least 13 arrests related to heavy drinking.
Some members of Greek organizations at the University of Mississippi told The Chronicle that their leaders had instructed them not to attend an I’m Shmacked event. (A Mississippi spokesman said that the university never officially told students not to go.)
Mr. Toufanian said his company wasn’t creating a problem but simply documenting what already goes on.
“Our events are probably a safer venue to party in than a house party. We have security, people checking IDs. It’s just called ‘I’m Shmacked’ so people make a big deal,” he said.
Simon G. Harris, a student at the College of Charleston, said many students question the game plan of administrators and student groups condemning the activities rather than using them as an opportunity to further the conversation on drinking.
“People blow it out of proportion,” he said. “It’s college, people party. What happens when I’m Shmacked is here really isn’t different than what happens on college campuses normally.”