President Roderick McDavis had a message for all Ohio University freshmen during the annual president’s convocation for first-year students: OU is not a party school and being seen as such can be dangerous for the university.
The value of an OU degree may decrease because of this reputation, and people can die from too much alcohol, McDavis said in the Convocation Center yesterday.
“Let the class of 2015 be an end to the party-school reputation,” McDavis said.
“You did not come here to see how much beer you can consume on a Friday night. You came here for a degree.”
McDavis told the audience about failing his first test as a freshman at OU. Instead of giving up, he found help and changed his study habits. In order to succeed in college, freshmen may need to change the way they study, McDavis said.
“It is our responsibility to lift you up,” he said. “We do not want anyone to leave here without that degree.”
After the ceremony, freshmen were able to browse through 272 student organizations at the Involvement Fair.
The event, which originally was to be held on College Green, was moved to the inside and outside ring of The Convo because of the rain.
“With the weather forecast, we felt this was the best way,” administrative assistant Anna Addington said. “This way, we can accommodate all of the student organizations.”
This was the first time the Involvement Fair was held at The Convo. In the past, it has been held in Baker University Center when it rained, but fitting thousands of people in the building had become a safety concern, Addington added.
“There’s just so many people packed in, but I guess there’s nothing you can do about it,” freshman Nicki Wellder said.
The event is a good way to recruit new members, sophomore Rec Club member Tina Leszkiewicz said.
“We’re hoping for as many as we can get; we’re a small organization, but we’re hoping to expand as big as possible,” Leszkiewicz said.
College Democrats member Nick Tuell was also in attendance, helping students register to vote and recruiting new members.
“It’s a pretty big election year, and we’re just trying to find some new people that share the same values,” Tuell said.
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