Back in March of 2004, JHM ran a letter that had allegedly been written by a veteran of Disney World's College Program. This rather sensational note reportedly revealed the rude awakening that one college student had received once he arrived in Orlando to take part in the program.
To hear this under-graduate tell the tale, his apartment at Vista Way (I.E. The apartment complex where college students stay while they're taking part in the program) was filthy. His room-mates were heavy-smoking sex fiends. And that cushy Guest Relations position that his Disney recruiter had promised him? That actually turned out to be a job flipping burgers at Peco Bill's.
After JHM ran this particular letter in our "Cast Member Corner" section, this site was inundated with angry e-mails from WDW College Program vets. People who disputed virtually every single aspect of the first letter that we'd posted. Which was why JHM was then forced to print rebuttal after rebuttal after rebuttal ...
Given the strong reaction that JHM readers had to that original "A Cautionary Tale about WDW's College Program" article, I'm almost reluctant to bring up Wesley Jones' new book, "Mousecatraz: The Walt Disney College Program" (Lulu.com, July 2006). Given that this new paperback covers much the same turf as that controversial letter ... Only in a much more graphic manner.
Mind you, in the afterword for "Mousecatraz," Welsey says that:
I did not discuss the dirtiest details pertaining to the sexually related stories and alcohol related incidents because I wanted "Mousecatraz" to be readable for all audiences. However, excluding all sexual and alcohol content would not have done the College Program justice. I did not want a G-rated book or an X-rated book, but somewhere in the middle, like PG-13. The content I included provides the general idea of just how sexually active it is behind the walls of Vista Way, I mean Vista Lay.
Well, if Jones was shooting for a PG-13, he kind of missed the mark. There are entire sections of "Mousecatraz" that are (to be frank) just gross. Take -- for example -- this story about one WDW College Program member who over-indulged while visiting PI:
During one late night bus ride home from Pleasure Island, a student could not control his vomiting. Before the bus could return to the apartment complex, the seats, floor, windows and several other students were drenched in a hefty amount of protein spill.
Or -- better (or should I say worse?) yet -- this unfortunate exchange between a WDW College Program participant and their WDW manager:
After attending a classic party the night before, one sick student could not miss any more days at work. The student went to work and after only ten minutes of working, he informed his manager he needed to go home. The student then vomited all over his manager's white shirt. The manager needed no further explanation and sent the student home.
And I have to warn you that vomit isn't the only bodily fluid that flows freely through "Mousecatraz." Jones also crams lots of horny-college-student stories into this 184-page paperback.
Copyright 2006 Lulu.com
Take -- for example -- this after-hours tale that one 2005 alumnus supposedly shared with Wesley:
I woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of juice. I went out to the kitchen and my roommate and his girlfriend were having sex on the kitchen table. I got the glass of juice and returned to my room, as they continued on. I think that they knew that I was passing through, but they didn't care.
Clearly what Jones was hoping to do with "Mousecatraz" was capture the "Animal House" aspect of WDW's College Program. Make all of these collegiate hijinks seem fun. But given that this poorly-constructed paperback seems to lurch from crude anecdote to crude ancedote ... In the end, it's not all that fun a read.
Of course, Jones has to shoulder some of the blame for this. The overly-negative tone that pervades this paperback, I mean. Given that -- in his afterword -- the author flat-out admits that ...
Before I began the research process, my intentions were to "slam" the Disney College Program. I wanted to uncover the worst components associated with the program.
"Why would Wesley want to do something like that?," you ask. Well, in "The Journey That Changed Me" chapter of this book, Jones talks about how he was forced to leave the WDW College Program two weeks ahead of schedule because of some allegedly unprofessional conduct on the part of the Magic Kingdom's Human Resources Department.
Mind you, Wesley then goes on to explain how -- over time -- his attitude toward WDW's College Program eventually softened to the point where he now wanted this book to be much more even-handed. Though one wonders if that was really his main motivation for this editorial change. Given that -- in a press release that I received along with this paperback -- Jones stated that ...
I'm a fan of David Koenig's books; "Mouse Tales," "More Mouse Tales" and "Mouse Under Glass." Koenig has a nice franchise going on there and I think "Mousecatraz" could result in the same.
Okay. So what Wesley really wants to do here is launch a brand-new series of books. And there's nothing wrong with that. The man's entitled to make a few bucks.
But here's the thing: The reason that David's books are so popular with Disneyana enthusiasts because Koenig obviously puts a lot of time & care into their creation. And even by taking a quick glance at all those pages of footnotes toward the back of "Mouse Tales" and "More Mouse Tales," you just know that these books have been thoroughily researched.
Whereas "Mousecatraz: The Walt Disney College Program" ... In the research phase of this book, Jones claims to have talked to 500 people who participated in the program. Yet nowhere in this 184-page paperback do we ever get the full name of a single person that Wesley interviewed. Or -- for that matter -- the names of the colleges that they attended.
I mean, this is the age of Tucker Max & Paris Hilton after all (FYI: Among the rumors that Jones reports in "Mousecatraz" is that Paris Hilton has been known to party at Vista Way). So surely there must have been someone who was willing to go on the record about their heavy drinking, bed-hopping days in WDW's College Program.
It's things like this -- plus the overly sleazy tone of this paperback -- that makes it extremely difficult for me to recommend "Mousecatraz."
But if you're looking for a cheap thrill, a quick peek at the allegedly steamy underside of Disney's College Program, I guess it might be worth it to pick up a copy of this paperback. Otherwise, I'd suggest that you take a pass on "Mousecatraz."