Greetings, fellow Bobcats, and welcome to campus! I’m glad you’re here, and I’m sure it won’t be long until Athens feels like a second home.
This week is likely one of many firsts for you: Meeting your classmates, touring your academic buildings, deciding which Athens cuisine you’ll post to Instagram first… It’s all a blur — trust me, I’ve been there.
A lot has changed since my Bobcat Student Orientation three years ago. But through all the ebbs and flows of campus life, one thing has been constant during my tenure in Athens: The Post.
I made it a part of my daily routine from the minute I set foot on campus, and I urge you to do the same. Our print product generally consists of six broadsheet pages filled with great photos and all the culture, news, opinion and sports content you need to ensure you’re the best-informed person at the party — er, library. It’s printed every day classes are in session and can be found on newsstands around campus and Athens.
We’re also in the process of launching a brand-new website that will be your one-stop shop for everything Athens as it happens. It’ll be much better than our current one (thank goodness) and will even have a newsletter to which you and your parents can subscribe, bringing all that news to your inbox each morning — assuming you can figure out your new Catmail account.
In all seriousness, the new site will launch Aug. 1 at www.thepostathens.com. Add it to your bookmarks bar now, if you’re into that kind of thing.
If you’re at all interested in journalism, photography, graphic design, coding, advertising or public relations, send me an email or drop by The Post newsroom, 325 Baker Center, when class resumes in August. We have a staff of almost 100 friendly, talented students, and I swear none of us bite.
In case you’re wondering, The Post is an independent newspaper. That means our student staff decides what to publish and when to do so without editorial oversight from the university. I would be remiss not to mention, however, that our business manager is a salaried OU employee and that OU provides our newsroom space.
If you haven’t gotten enough advice about what to expect during your first year at OU, take a gander at some of the advice we’ve compiled below.
It’s pretty good stuff — spot on, I say. And while I have your ear, here’s my two cents. Take it or leave it, Bobcat fans.
Many of the kooky freshman stereotypes are true, so have fun with them. (For example: My mother has a photo of me posing, lanyard around my neck, in front of Read Hall, where I lived freshman year.)
If you’ve been placed in a “renovated” residence hall, you’re in luck. The same goes for living in relative proximity to a dining hall.
Don’t stress about picking classes — really, it’ll be OK — and don’t be disappointed if you have to schedule some for Friday morning. You’ll get through them.
You and your random roommates will get along just fine — at least for a while. Then you’ll begin to bicker about the leftover calzones left in the mini fridge and the undergarments lying exposed on the futon whenever you happen to bring that cute guy or gal over to study.
Yes, that’s actually a thing that happens in college.
Employers monitor your social media accounts, so think twice before posting. The fake IDs sold by the guy down the hall probably aren’t that convincing. Ask before you pet the horses.
Watch a sunset from Bong Hill, stand front-row at a football game and make sure to call your mom often. The move is going to be hard on her and Dad too.
And remember: Read The Post. Always read The Post.
Jim Ryan is a senior studying journalism and editor-in-chief of The Post. Email him at jr992810@ohiou.edu or send him a tweet at @Jimryan015.
