Ohio University’s Homecoming festivities officially kick off this week. Paint the Town Green is an event that challenges OU departments and residence halls to compete against each other in a showcase of Bobcat pride.
Throughout the competition, departments and residence halls will adorn their offices and spaces with decorations that encapsulate the spirit of OU.
While Paint the Town Green is not new to OU, the event is making a comeback this year after falling to the sidelines in previous years. Hannah Protsik, assistant director of student-alumni engagement and philanthropy education, was passionate about bringing the event back this year.
“So this year, we really wanted to bring it back to the Ohio University community,” Protsik said. “In past years it involved businesses, but since we’re restarting it we focused mainly on departments and residence halls.”
Departments will be competing against each other and residence halls will be competing against each other. Protsik worked with University Communications and Marketing to get the word out about the event to faculty throughout the university and has seen a lot of participation so far.
“I would encourage departments and residence halls to get involved to kind of teach students about what homecoming is,” Protsik said. “Get them excited for the celebration and then help them feel like they are taking part in homecoming.
Departments and residence halls will compete for three awards. The Bobcat Pride Award goes to the group that best showcases the spirit and traditions of OU through its decorations. The most creative use of green and white honor will be awarded to the group that has the best creative display of OU’s colors. The Rufus Spirit Award will be given to the department or residence hall that best incorporates Rufus, OU’s mascot, into its display.
Char Miller, the executive director of the School of Nursing, said Homecoming has always been a big deal for the School of Nursing. The school is pulling out all the stops this year.
“We are featuring our Rufus dressed in the School of Nursing uniform,” Miller said. “We like to do a throwback to the bricks … So this year we have a little brick wall with some silhouettes of the iconic buildings around OU, and all of the faculty and staff names are featured on the bricks.”
Judging for the competition will take place Sept. 25.
“That’s the kickoff Homecoming activity,” Protsik said. “So get in the Homecoming spirit a little bit early, and get the campus involved in it as much as possible.”
Protsik graduated from OU in 2022 and in 2024. She said Homecoming is a special time for alumni.
“I always think of Homecoming as Bobcats coming together,” Protsik said. “No matter how many years it has been since I graduated, there’s always that excitement and that passion that surrounds Homecoming.”
Miller said school spirit is a big part of Homecoming week and loves the connections Paint the Town Green fosters across campus.
“It’s team building for our faculty and staff and our students love it,” Miller said.
Scott Bye, assistant dean of students and director of the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility, said events like Paint the Town Green are what the department is about.
“Part of the mission of Community Standards & Student Responsibility is to create meaningful opportunities for students to learn what it means to be a member of the Ohio University community,” Bye said via email. “Participating in Paint the Town Green helps Community Standards advance this mission and is one the ways we engage in the Ohio community throughout the year.”
Paint the Town Green encourages creative displays of things that make OU so special, and the event embodies the true spirit of Homecoming.
“I think as a student, it’s really powerful to see just how much OU can mean to different people.” Protsik said.
