Bring on the pumpkin spiced lattes and cozy sweatshirts, for fall has officially arrived in Athens!
Slowly but surely the Ugg boots and leggings will appear on campus as the leaves start to change color. Walking through College Green will be a vision of maroon, yellow and orange leaves – truly a colorful explosion signaling the season change.
One of the greatest things to look forward to during the fall for a number of college students is football season. On Sunday and Monday nights, student eyes are glued to TVs inside dorm rooms and apartments. Social media newsfeeds blow up with posts of game times, trash talk and cheerful photos of tailgating. University apparel pops up more on campus for school spirit too.
Even though there are always dedicated Bobcat fans, there are also the students who support Ohio State or bigger universities in the Big Ten. Whether they’re sticking out the chilly nights with hot cocoa in the stands or rooting their favorite team on huddled at Buffalo Wild Wings, committed sports fans always know when game time is. Fall is not only a reminder to bring your sweatshirts out, but it is also undeniably the time America’s favorite sport is in full swing.
Specifically for Bobcats, fall is the time of year where the holidays are extra sweet on campus. Halloween at OU is infamous for bringing students together for a giant costume party that floods Court Street and the rest of campus. Even students that go to universities outside of Ohio travel all the way to Athens for some rural trick-or-treating. Students from all over rack their brains for weeks on end in order to come up with the perfect costume. Inevitably there are the freshmen that want to dress more provocatively than other students, focusing only on the theatrics of the holiday, while veterans of the OU festivities simply pick up a sombrero or football jersey the night before in order to solely focus on getting their liquor jacket on early. Without a doubt, the fall weeks before Halloween weekend are the most profitable time of year for the convenient costume shop on Court Street.
The legendary holiday celebration in this college town is like no other. Law enforcement is even forced to call in backup ahead of time just in case population control gets to be out of hand. There are stages on the streets with live music blasting. Random mobs of people shuffle up Court Street like a chaotic parade. It is like a drunken circus that comes around only once a year.
Fall is the beginning of a lot of things; colder weather, changing leaves and the rising action of the academic year. It’s the season that brightens OU in more ways than just a beautiful campus. As fall activities draw closer on the calendar, students have more to look forward to than just wearing sweatpants to class.
Stephanie Gort is a senior studying journalism and public relations.
Stephanie Gort is a senior studying journalism and public relations.
