As is promised in the movies, there is much more to college life than just schoolwork. Incoming students will have to find their perfect work-life balance, and Ohio University offers many exciting activities throughout the year to contribute to the “life” aspect of that duality.
Abby Joyner, a sophomore studying English, said some of her favorite events are the ones that occur during Welcome Week in the fall, including the Petting Zoo and the Drag Show.
“It’s something fun and relaxing to do to … chill out when you might be a little bit stressed because classes are starting,” Joyner said.
Welcome Week activities are designed to immerse new and returning students in OU culture and give them a chance to destress at the start of the semester. In addition to these perks, Welcome Week is mostly free of cost for students, which Joyner believes is a unique thing for college students to come across.
OU also offers other cost-efficient activities throughout the year through the Performing Arts and Concert Series. In recent years, performers like Noah Kahan and The Driver Era have passed through Memorial Auditorium and sold tickets at a fraction of the usual cost of their shows.
“They get some really cool people and I think that’s an awesome thing to take advantage of because the tickets are so cheap,” Joyner said.
Joyner also remembers anticipating Athens’ Halloween weekend before arriving on campus, and continues to look forward to the next year's festivities for Oct. 31.
“I was definitely super excited for Halloween, that was the one thing that I had heard a ton of things about and I was very excited,” she said. “Before I even got to OU, I was trying to plan out what I was going to do for Halloween.”
Another popular event in Athens around the end of October is a shadow cast performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” hosted at The Union and organized by Lost Flamingo Theatre Company, or LFC. Maeve Turner, a junior studying marketing, has participated in “Rocky” as a stage manager and assistant director.
“I just really wanted to be involved with it any way I could,” she said. “I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, I’ve met some really cool people doing it.”
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has a long history of representing the LGBTQIA+ community and cult classic film fanatics. The movie was released in the 1970s, and LFC has now been performing the show for two decades.
“I think Rocky is a huge part of where local Athens culture and OU culture … intersects, and I think it’s a really cool thing to experience,” Turner said.
According to Turner, “Rocky” is a safe space of immersive theater where people can come and be who they are. In addition to “Rocky,” Turner cites the Athens International Film and Video Festival as one of her favorite annual events in alignment with her love of all art forms.
“Athens International Film Festival is one of the more interesting events that happen in Athens because it brings in so many interesting creators and filmmakers who you wouldn’t normally be able to talk to or get any insight from,” she said.
The amount of events that occur throughout the year can be overwhelming, especially in conjunction with school work, responsibilities with student organizations and the general stress of living independently for the first time. However, these events are intended to give students a chance to unwind in an exciting way.
“It’s so important to go to … many community and university events … because you truthfully do make the best memories, tell the best stories, meet the best people when you actually immerse yourself in the culture that you’re in,” Turner said.
Joyner said she was nervous at the beginning of her freshman year that the events on campus would have a shortage of attendees and she would be judged for her participation, but she was delightfully proven wrong.
“Just go,” Joyner said. “There’s going to be a ton of people there and you can meet friends and it’s always a super fun environment.”
