Abercrombie U. That's what Ohio University alumnus and ESPN commentator Peter King stated, complimenting OU's physical appearance at the Alumni Gala Awards during Homecoming 2005.
He was unaware of the negative connotation that it might carry among students: upper crust, white suburban mall culture. This comment came during the McDavis administration's push for diversity.
Peter King's remark sums up my perception of the new Baker Center: a mega-mall, which does not fit with the bohemian pulse, the free-thinking atmosphere of Athens, Ohio, propelling OU toward Abercrombie U.
Abercrombie U. ' A cookie cutter institution, where national rankings, PIDs and grandeur replace regional pride, a student's name and face and a unique identity.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this new identity is the wave of the future. Maybe a student pleaded the same case in 1954, when Baker Center 1.0 first opened.
I'll give Baker 2.0 a shot, but loyalties still lie with The Donkey, Tony's and The Oasis (R.I.P.).Roger Anderson is a graduate student in the department of modern languages.
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Letter to the Editor
