Playboy Magazine ranked Ohio University as the top party school in the U.S. in 2015. At the time, the Halloween Block Party was one of the country’s largest, according to USA Today, even being sponsored by the well-known, and in some ways infamous, alcoholic beverage Four Loko. Although that has changed, Athens is still home to over 20 bars, one of the reasons for OU’s #1 spot.
However, within 10 years, OU has dropped to spot #15 according to Niche.com’s 2025 Top Party Schools. Students have seen the party scene drop firsthand, leading them to wonder how much of a party school OU really is now.
Erika Thomas, a junior studying global studies, understands from an administration perspective, that the decrease might be a positive attribute for the university.
“If you’re trying to create a better image of your school, you don't want to Google search Ohio University and the first thing that comes up is ‘party school’ because you want to bring in hard-working, intelligent students that are here for school because that’s ultimately why we're all here, is to get our degrees,” Thomas said.
Thomas said this year, she’s seen more instances, than in her first two years, of house parties getting shut down in under 30 minutes.
“What’s the point of even going in the first place?” she asked.
“I do think it is unfortunate because I think you can do both,” Thomas said. “You can be a good student and also have a fun time on the weekend socially.”
Thomas considers this aspect of college a part of meeting new people and making connections, especially with student organization events that might help “build deeper friendships.”
“Our area, where OU is in Appalachia, there’s not much around here,” Thomas said. “There’s not a Target. There’s not much to do if you want to go anywhere fun, go to a concert, go to a nice shopping center, do really anything, you have to drive to Columbus or Lancaster.”
This culture change isn’t just a coincidence. While outside effects such as COVID-19 have undeniably changed college campuses, OU administration has aimed to decrease the party status.
“I think we’ve made a commitment over a number of years to shift the culture to this positive environment, away from this party school image,” Dean of Students Kathy Fahl, said.
Fahl said in student affairs, they set up what it means to be a Bobcat as soon as Bobcat Student Orientation starts and reinforce that through online training about alcohol and drugs.
“It’s about what is the value of an Ohio University degree, and the value of that degree is in your academics, your co-curricular experience, and of course, being a lifelong bobcat, and that’s, to me, the focus of what we’re trying to do here,” she said.
It is also assumed that Generation Z is choosing to drink less. With the new shift in health consciousness, Fahl sees this as a component of the diminishing party school status at OU.
On top of that, students are seeing an increase in police presence and arrests on Court Street and in student residential areas. Julia Umanzio, a junior studying multimedia, was immediately aware of the shift when she came back to campus this semester.
“About two months ago, when we first got here, I saw three girls getting arrested,” Umanzio said. “I know people personally who have gotten arrested and I see it on social media of people saying, ‘Watch out for this.’ I didn’t see that freshman or sophomore year as much.”
Thomas finds the presence to be a tactic to scare students out of making a decision.
“I think the presence is maybe more just intimidation and that looming presence of authority,” Thomas said. “Like ‘Have fun, but don’t have too much fun because look what’s right next to you: a cop on a horse.’”
Both Thomas and Umanzio cited knowing multiple people who have been arrested on campus, but Thomas said the trend seems specific to OU.
“I’ve had several friends get in trouble, legally for partying, but at other schools, that has never happened to any of my friends, or any mutual friends or friends of a friend,” Thomas said.
The scare tactics have influenced party life on campus, specifically with an energy lacking in some bars on Court Street, Umanzio specifically mentioned The J Bar.
“I’ll walk by it and the bouncers are kind of just looking at you like, ‘Please come in here, we need people,’” Umanzio said. “It was not like that. I remember coming freshman year and it was the happening bar.”
With Halloween approaching, students wonder whether the Block Party will continue to feel these changes or not. Considering the immense party shutdowns during Homecoming, OU Halloween could play out the same way.
“I do think that Halloween is definitely not the hype of what it was and I don’t know what to expect this year,” Thomas said. “I think as a whole, it’s definitely not that atmosphere or vibe anymore of the biggest weekend of the year.”
