BLOG: Melting those feelings toward negative labels
By Kim Blaha, Blogger
April 22, 2007 | 7:41 p.m.
About one month ago, I paced to class, equipped with several layers and a scarf that hugged the majority of my face. I conquered the winter winds of Athens, leaving the confines of my dorm room only when necessary. Although this past winter was not comparable to the winters back home in northeastern Ohio, I still feel as though I have every right to complain because let’s face it: winter quarter was rough.
But amongst the bitter cold weather, I noticed that many Ohio University students had other things to be cold about. Pessimistic attitudes toward the university lingered. With the already existing "party school" label, as well as attacks regarding plagiarism, we students were not the least bit surprised when the RIAA cited OU for the having the largest number of students involved in illegal file sharing. Additionally, the athletic department suffered when several sports teams were cut from the program in January.
Yet another reason to associate our university with negativity, right?
Wrong. I have another: when returning to Athens after spring break, I was quite snubbed when reading the university-wide e-mail sent by Dr. Kent Smith, Jr., Vice President of Student Affairs. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the e-mail which I am speaking of, allow me to provide a brief summary: An unhappy spring breaker on board an NCL cruise contacted Dr. Kent Smith, Jr. in regards to the crude behavior Ohio University students were displaying and how it coincided with a $200 “all you can drink” coupon. However, Anonymous never mentioned exactly what these students were doing. The coupon that rendered alcohol easily accessible for these students clearly had something to do with their conduct, but I’m sure faculty and students alike are hungry for details. All of us are seen as “failing” this university, according to Anonymous, but without a problem there can be no solution. In my opinion, we were much better off with “party school” attached to our name. I never knew there was anything wrong with a good party. Most colleges are party schools as it is, so at least we were known for it.
In light of all the previously mentioned, I think we should all be grateful that we attend Ohio University instead of, for instance, BGSU. I visited a friend at Bowling Green over spring break, and I promise you it was nothing to write home about. Their campus, for a lack of better words, is ugly, and I may have been at the wrong parties, but from what I observed, not a single co-ed was experiencing the fun that goes on around here.
My fellow OU students, we’re down to the home stretch. Let’s not dwell on what others think of us. Rather, let us enjoy this last quarter as if we were back in the #2 spot, and perhaps we could do so without “failing” our university.
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