It’s finally here, Bobcats — the weekend you’ve been waiting for.
There’s an unmistakable verve about campus this week: Hugs and handshakes abound, freshman fretting about random roommate assignments and too-large furniture, upperclassmen coordinating their first off campus parties, and an entire campus hurriedly readying for the next 30 weeks of classes.
The energy that inhabits Athens during the summer months comes to a crescendo this week, said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student Affairs, who even admitted that he doesn’t sleep well in August because of the anticipation.
Sound familiar, Bobcats?
Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones cited this weekend as having a tangible “excitement that you can feel.”
President Roderick McDavis — who will be on East Green with his wife Deborah helping students move in Thursday — said he expects campus to be abuzz this weekend.
“That first weekend is really one of my favorites,” he said.
“I think there’s a great deal of excitement because of the new students that are coming to campus ... and every new academic year certainly has a new feel to it.”
We know that the last thing you’re looking to do this week is catch up on your reading. We get it — there’s plenty of other (more important) catching up to do. With that in mind, my Post colleagues and I spent our final hours of summer freedom piecemealing together a comprehensive guide to your coming semester and everything you missed over the summer.
Many of you, judging by the social media feedback to our story, already heard about the white Mustang that crashed into The Crystal in July. The good news? The uptown bar kept serving that evening and has been doing so ever since.
In the grand scheme of things, though, much more important things happened in Athens this summer. We were glad to report the Gamertsfelder Hall evacuation in July was little more than that and we were just as surprised as you were when an OU student sued several of its top administrators in defense of his free speech rights. And without fail, suspended Sheriff Pat Kelly was back in the news — but only because his trial for 23 felony charges and a pair of misdemeanors was delayed from September to January.
On the sporting scene, Ohio basketball standout Maurice Ndour will be suiting up for his native Senegal during the FIBA World Cup, which begins this week in Spain. Back on campus, teams are readying for their upcoming seasons and making use of the new Walter Fieldhouse. (There will be an official dedication ceremony for the fieldhouse Monday, by the way.)
While many of the student-athletes stay here all summer long, I was only fortunate enough to make it back to campus a couple times — once to take in the 10th annual Nelsonville Music Festival, which featured the likes of The Avett Brothers and
The Head and The Heart. I found the summertime here as enjoyable as everyone has described it: a refreshing change of pace from the academic year.
Ohio University prides itself on being a worldly institution — attracting students and faculty from all over the world. Sadly, local authorities uncovered another international connection with Athens County over the summer. An Athens County grand jury indicted four people on a gaggle of charges relating to a drug ring that county prosecutor Keller Blackburn said could extend all the way to Canada.
In other (more uplifting) news, Kiser’s Barbeque is coming to Court Street, adding another unique Athens cuisine within a couple steps of the college gate. More importantly, it’s within quick walking distance of our office at 325 Baker University Center.
We encourage you to stop by and see us, whether at Baker Center or the Involvement Fair on College Green on Sunday. If that’s not your flavor, write us a letter or hit us up on social media to tell us what you did this summer. We want to know!
Or, better yet, come work with us; we have openings in everything from advertising and public relations to reporting, photography and page design.
We’re excited to get to work, and I hope you are too. If you’re looking for a chance to blow off some steam, we’ll be hosting a party at Casa Nueva next Thursday to kick the academic year off right.
In the meantime, get settled in, meet up with some friends and enjoy the feeling of being back in the most beautiful city in the state.
For those of you who are new to campus: Don’t go crazy on the dining hall food, keep an open mind when meeting your roommates and enjoy your 8 a.m. classes. Thank goodness I’m done with those.
Lombardi told me last month that a student’s first few weeks on campus, while also great fun, foreshadow his or her coming years at OU.
“Within like a month,” he said, “you couldn’t imagine life not at Ohio University.”
I couldn’t agree more. Cheers to that, Bobcats, and welcome home.
Jim Ryan s a senior studying journalism and political science and the editor of The Post. Excited for The Post’s party at Casa? Send him an email at jr992810@ohio. edu or tweet him at @JimRyan015 to let him know.
