There is a longstanding, obscure rivalry between Ohio University and The Ohio State University. Although the colleges reside in different football conferences, the rivalry runs deep and has only grown over the last two years, as the Bobcats have lost in both matchups.
This is why many OU students don’t blame Rufus for the time he beat up Brutus during a 2010 football matchup.
Even as a less sports-focused student, I agree with our mascot Rufus’ hatred for OSU; however, the reason for my disdain is completely different. It runs much deeper than sports and concerns the university's recent actions.
According to NBC4, 764 OSU students were displaced and forced to scramble to find housing after Taylor Hall flooded overnight during the 2026 spring semester move-in weekend. The university did offer each student compensation; however, according to frustrated students who took to online platforms, such as Reddit, it wasn’t enough.
“$400 and ‘good luck’ basically,” Reddit user larry_corn wrote about the situation.
Personally, if a similar incident occurred at OU and our administration thought this was the right path of action, I would feel this same way. No one, especially broke college students, deserves to be treated this way. Instead, they should be helped.
OSU can take care of its students, but chooses to instead funnel its finances back to its football program.
OSU earned $336 million and put about $320.4 million back into itself during the 2025 fiscal year, according to its website. In comparison, OU’s athletic budget during the 2024 fiscal year was $22.1 million and netted about $3.9 million, according to the university’s 2023-24 planning budget sheet
The surprising thing is that none of the factors above is the reason why I despise the college. My hatred comes from OSU’s handling of Leslie Wexner being named as a co-conspirator in the Epstein files.
Wexner is the founder and CEO of Limited Brands Foundation, which was founded in Columbus in 1963, and is chair of The New Albany Company, a real-estate company he created 35 years ago. He has a network of $10.8 billion, according to Bloomberg, and donated $100 million to OSU. Currently, Wexner’s name is on three on-campus buildings.
With all of the recent uproar from Wexner being in the Epstein Files, OSU’s President Ted Carter sat down with WOSU, the campus’ broadcast studio, and answered some questions about the university’s view on Wexner. During the interview, he said there is no reason not to take Wexner’s name in the files 1,000 times at face value and not believe in his denials.
If Wexner, or anyone, is this close to a criminal like Jeffrey Epstein, I have a hard time believing he hasn’t even heard a rumor about his activities.
Even if Wexner is telling the truth, it’s almost impossible to deny he had a hand in helping create this tragedy. OSU having ties and maintaining a relationship with a man named in the Epstein files continues to drag its name through the mud.
Never do I or any sane, reasonable person want to associate with anyone or a place that has pedophilic ties, and I believe many others feel the same way. I also see a future where this might lead to a decline in enrollment for OSU and even current students transferring. No one wants a name on their diploma that ties back to pedophilia and cowardness, and I don’t blame them.
Rivalries are supposed to be about pride, tradition and bragging rights, but this goes beyond the scoreboard. OSU focuses way too much on its Big Ten status in football and not on bolstering the infrastructure that needs repairs. My reasons for disliking the university may not be for the same reasons Rufus does, but to me, the reason why we should hate OSU matters most.
My frustration is rooted in what I believe college should represent: responsibility, transparency and genuine care for the people who invest their futures into higher education.
Next time we face the Buckeyes, I will chant a little louder. Not just because of football, but because I believe a university’s legacy should be built on more than trophies and television deals. It should be built on character.
Until that changes, my disdain will run deeper than any rivalry could.
The Pest is an anonymous column for writers to air their grievances about Ohio University, Athens and society at large. Want to share your thoughts? Email the Editor in Chief at editor@thepostathens.com.
