Campus Life : Eye on OU : Year in Review

It's not always easy being green and white

Speakeasy examines life for OU students over the past year

By April Prior, Campus Life Editor
   Jennifer England, Assistant Campus Life Editor
   
June 2, 2007 | 9:44 a.m.

In a town like Athens, students make up almost half of the entire population. Needless to say, what happens to students is felt throughout the community. This past year has brought students together against major changes and, at times, divided students over stereotypes and reputation. While Ohio University welcomed one of its largest freshman classes ever, it also mourned the loss of friends near and far. Speakeasy reflects on student life on campus and major events of 2006 and 2007.

Hardships and heartbreak

Students don’t expect that they will have to say their final goodbyes to a friend while still in college. Sadly, this became a reality for many students this year after a gunman opened fire at Virginia Tech on April 16. The gunman, 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people at two campus buildings before taking his own life, making it the deadliest shooting in U.S. history. Students at universities across the country were moved by the massacre, openly sharing the pain. Many Ohio University students showed their support by wearing V-Tech’s school colors and attending a candlelight vigil in honor of those Hokies whose lives were lost in the shooting.

Even closer to home, OU experienced the loss of one of its own students. Junior Sarah Merritt was killed on March 21 when she fell from her fifth-floor hotel balcony while on spring break at Hilton Head Island, S.C. The 20-year-old from Tipp City was a forward on the OU women’s soccer team, and according to coach Stacy Strauss, Merritt was the “social engine of the team.” Her funeral was held April 3 at the Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City. The Facebook group created in Merritt’s memory receives daily postings from family and friends who continue to keep Merritt alive in their hearts.

OU also dealt with another accident this year, one that was very serious but fortunately wasn’t fatal. Misato Kawamura, 19, was struck by a recycling truck on March 30. Kawamura, a student from Japan enrolled in the Ohio Program for Intensive English, was hit in the service alley between Ellis Hall and Alden Library. She suffered trauma to her lower body, including leg and pelvic bone fractures. After spending almost six weeks in the hospital, Kawamura was released in mid-May and plans to remain at OU until July.

This means war

While a war continued to wage overseas, Ohio University students were in the midst of battles on their own campus. OU Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt’s announcement that four varsity sport teams were to be cut from the university not only shocked athletes, but also angered them. Members of the women’s lacrosse, men’s swimming and diving and men’s indoor and outdoor track teams learned that their programs were being eliminated from the Athletic Department on Jan. 24. For the affected athletes, fixing the budget deficit wasn’t a solid excuse for taking away a part of their college life. Despite student rallies, town hall meetings and the creation of a Student Senate athletic affairs committee, the sports cuts remained final. Reduced to tears and frustration, many athletes chose to pursue their sports at other universities, either leaving OU at the end of winter quarter or planning to leave before the 2007-2008 school year.

A spark was also lit under the Greek life community when senior Alex Jabs wrote her April 19 column in the Post stereotyping sororities. Jabs’ editorial piece, “Sororities counteract fight for positive body image,” hailed over 60 responses from past and former students, many of them angry Greek life members. Others’ comments supported Jabs’ views on “sorostitutes,” or easy girls involved in sororities. Most agreed that the column was narrow-minded and generalized, but it still sent students reeling, further widening the divide between Greeks and non-Greeks.

A lesser-discussed conflict on campus was brewing between the graduate and undergraduate students. Musings were tossed around that OU undergrads weren’t very smart and weren’t attending college for the right reasons. There was also an issue that undergrads overpowered the university, leaving little room for graduate students to have a voice. This concern was echoed by Student Senate presidential candidate Shane Tilton during his campaign. Although tensions simmered, they never boiled over, and most talk has ceased since Tilton lost the race.

It’s getting harder to be true to your school

It’s all about your reputation. According to the 2007 Princeton Review’s Best 361 College Rankings, Ohio University was rated as the 6^th Top Party School in the nation. This was a drop from the 2^nd-place ranking the university earned the previous year. The Princeton Review says that this ranking was based on a “combination of survey questions concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day and the popularity of the Greek system.” Ohio was ranked fourth in the nation for “lots of beer,” seventh for “lots of hard liquor” and tenth for “their students (almost) never study.” The ranking system continues even after the American Medical Association called for its removal saying that it is misleading and ignores the consequences of high-risk drinking. After fewer arrests and a noticeably smaller crowd at the annual Halloween party, it is possible that the lower ranking is legitimate. The ranking conjured mixed emotions among the student body as some students vowed to party harder until next year’s ranking, their solemn goal being to put Ohio at the top. Other students were relieved that the reputation of their school will no longer be based only on the amount of parties attended but possibly on the academics as well. No matter what the opinion on the ranking, Ohio University continues to combat its party reputation with policies and alternative programming, such as the late-night Baker events provided every weekend.

Over the past few years, Ohio University students have a longer list of things that make it necessary to defend their school’s reputation. With budget woes, athletic cuts, plagiarism scandals and information security breeches, it is becoming more and more difficult to find positive press about Ohio. Even when the university is not involved, the name of OU gets tarnished as demonstrated by an angry letter sent to Vice President for Student Affairs Kent Smith by a woman aboard a cruise ship over spring break. She claimed the drunk and belligerent students aboard her cruise ship proudly flaunted the fact that they were from Ohio University and that the actions of these few students had resulted in a negative mindset of the university for her.

The last few years have been quite a roller coaster ride for the reputation of Ohio University. Until numerous issues get ironed out, students will continue to have to defend their choice of attending OU.