For students, college parties are a plus to their experience. UMKC’s party culture is not what you see in movies like Dear White People, American Pie or even Monsters University.

Niche, a survey site reviewing universities, ranked UMKC 355th out of 1,578 top partying colleges in America and 12th out of 39 schools in Missouri. Rockhurst ranked seventh and Mizzou took first. 

“The party culture at UMKC is alright, [but] it doesn’t compare to schools like Mizzou or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),” said sophomore and UPB member Lia Spears. “I think we only have an actual party culture if it’s during curtain weeks, like alpha week or delta week.”

Spears has only attended a few parties, but she believes they’re all about what you make of them. She said if you surround yourself with fun people, you’ll have a fun time.

While Spears doesn’t think the lacking party culture has affected her social experience at UMKC, she says parties do help her destress and meet new friends.

Marshae Perry (also known as Shae From The Lou) is known to have some of the best parties in both KC and St. Louis. Although Perry is in her last semester at UMKC, she has a side business called Shae From The Lou (SFTL) Entertainments where she hosts and promotes parties around town. 

Perry believes there’s a party culture at UMKC, depending on the semester you came to campus, as every class of students has a different culture. Perry said that if students don’t believe there is party culture at UMKC, they are not taking the initiative to go out and be involved.

“I have attended many kickbacks and parties, and I would say 50% of them were hosted by UMKC students,” Perry said. 

Perry has also hosted many parties where she says around 70% of the crowd actually comes from UMKC. 

According to Perry, to get involved in the party culture, you have to know people, put yourself out there and support the hosts.

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