Post editor reflects on his time at OU with a look back on the last four years.
Remember how much better quarters were?
Well after the Class of 2015 graduates Saturday, only grad students, fifth years, sixth years and so on will be able to answer that with a resounding "yes." No student set to complete an undergraduate degree on schedule that attends Ohio University after Saturday will have ever been a part of the quarter system.
OK, maybe the love for quarters over semesters is a little overrated, but the Class of 2015 certainly isn’t.
When we started, The Princeton Review had recently anointed OU as the number one party school in the nation. We were here when spring fests raged late into the night until, well, that one fire during Palmer Fest. We then were able to be a part of the aftermath for three years, as the nuisance party ordinance beefed up.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="f49c40ac-e934-11e4-ae3d-431518b34989"}}
We experienced the 10-week classes that allowed for many options with far less depth. We watched as the men’s basketball team made it to the Sweet 16 before losing that heartbreaker against North Carolina, and we witnessed the football team win its very first bowl game in school history vs. Utah State.
We were there for the switch to semesters and the confusing credit changes that accompanied it. We were present for numerous tuition hikes, and some of us were brave enough to demonstrate against the university in the better interest of us all.
We were greeted by President Barack Obama in addition to Vice President Joe Biden, then-vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan and now-presidential candidate Rand Paul as both parties zeroed-in on Ohio during the 2012 election.
We were able to attend five Number Fests, including two in one academic year, and that one odd Halftime Fest deal. We watched as the rules got stricter and as the city and county have attempted to end its continuance. Oh, and we were treated with one too many Wiz Khalifa concerts.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="aea8220e-ed54-11e4-9d19-ef4de6d85ebd"}}
We were in classes or Uptown when we caught wind of an active shooter near campus and had school subsequently cancelled for the rest of the day shortly thereafter. Come to think of it, we also had school cancelled numerous times in the past couple years due either to some of the chilliest temperatures Athens had ever seen or being blanketed with more snow than the city could handle. We remember those instances as common, but for those before us, the cancellations were far more absurd, since the school hadn’t shut down at all in the prior 40-plus years.
We were a part of making conversations regarding sexual assault and the treatment of minorities at the forefront of the campus and town, and we’ve started to see those in power take those problems seriously, as well.
We were dressed up for four Halloween Block Parties, with the last one ending in the sound of gunshots. We grew closer after fellow students were displaced following the West Union Street fire.
Through it, we became leaders, organizers, activists, mentors, friends and quite a bit better at drinking. We landed internships and jobs across the nation. We helped bridge the gap from the quarters-era to the newfound time of semesters by setting a solid foundation for that bridge.
So, for those who leave Saturday wishing they had been more involved, worked harder, spent more time with friends and so on, know this:
We were a part of one of the most interesting, successful and simultaneously tumultuous eras at OU that we, as well as those who watched us come of age, are certain never to forget.
Allan Smith is a senior studying journalism, projects editor for The Post and is graduating Saturday with the rest of his Class of 2015 pals. Have fun stories or tales from your four years at Ohio University? Email him at as299810@ohio.edu.
