Y. grins over 'sober' label

PROVO — A dynasty is gaining momentum in Provo, and as much as Brigham Young University fans wish it were football related, it isn't.

Instead, BYU is the nation's No. 1 stone-cold-sober college for a fifth consecutive year, a run unmatched by any school on any of the lists compiled annually by the Princeton Review. At the other end of the spectrum, the publication named the University of Colorado at Boulder the nation's top party school.

The lists are based on 106,000 student surveys conducted at 351 top colleges and universities and are published in "The Princeton Review Guide: The Best 351 Colleges," which goes on sale today. The guide is designed to help prospective students and their families choose schools that match their skills and interests. It is right on target with the perception of BYU, where school officials are proud of students known for low beer, liquor and marijuana use.

"The party schools all change from year to year," BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said. "They don't defend their title, but we manage to hold on to ours."

Of course, the top party schools don't want to repeat, while BYU is happy to repeat, three-peat, four-peat and five-peat on the sober list. The party school designation is considered embarrassing by school administrations, while sobriety dovetails nicely with the image of BYU, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has an honor code that prohibits the use of drugs and alcohol.

BYU made 13 lists, finishing first on four, including the one for most religious students and three categories related to low alcohol use. BYU also moved up from fifth to second on the list of schools with the best quality of life.

Jenkins said BYU officials think a sober student-body and a high quality of life have something to do with each other. She even requested that a Princeton Review representative mention the two in tandem this morning on NBC's "Today Show."

"We are proud of all of those things," Jenkins said. "We would like them to point out the No. 1 stone-cold sober ranking goes hand-in-hand with quality of life."

The University of Utah earned its first top 20 ranking last year when it finished fourth in the most religious category. It dropped to 20th on that list this year, but ranked at No. 12 in low liquor usage. The U. ranked 19th among schools with low acceptance of the gay community; BYU was 15th on that list.