Thursday, October 29, 1998
Athens, Ohio
An Independent Daily Newspaper
Ohio University
Remember the future
This weekend, Ohio University students and students from neighboring schools will flood Athens for the biggest costume party on the Hocking: Halloween. I have enjoyed Halloween for the last two years, luckily without injuries. With some of the characters that venture to Athens, there is little respect shown toward our pleasant college town. And this isn't necessary.
Like the April 5 ordeal, Halloween partying has a tendency to be rowdy as students intermingle binge drinking with cross-dressing.
I urge students to prove to the Athens community that we are responsible adults who can enjoy ourselves and still act like sane humans. I understand how easy it is to get rambunctious during the festivities, but students need to remember Athens is not our permanent home. Nine months of the year, we take over this quiet town snuggled in the hills of Southeast Ohio and turn it upside-down, much to the dismay of local residents.
We need to remember this is the hometown of many people, and long after we are gone and graduated, they still will call it their home. There is nothing wrong with having a good time, but not when it causes hurt feelings or anger.
Athens locals have opened their hearts to us and have lived alongside students for almost 200 years. They have celebrated OU events such as Homecoming and University Program Council concerts with us. They have benefitted from a thriving economic influx because of a population increase of close to 20,000 people nine months of the year. They also have suffered from the actions of some students.
The April 5 fracas and the nickname of OU being a "party school" have cast a dark shadow on the Athens community. I feel it is time for us to take responsibility for our actions and do what we can to remind Athens locals how lucky they are to have such a fine institution in their area. When we leave behind Athens, we will be leaving behind old friends, professors and the beautiful setting. We will be taking with us the names of OU and Athens. Don't we want people to have the same respect and awe for this quiet little college town as it deserves? I should think so.
Amy Lusk
al132696@oak.cats.ohiou.edu
Andrew Shinkle
Ohio University has a reputation for being a drinking school. We have a long-standing tradition of Halloween. We have had several ugly Uptown disturbances in recent years. The university and Athens recently have been taking steps, ranging from receiving large grants to combat alcohol-related crimes to imposing new rules for Halloween, toward changing that image. However, in all the hysteria over alcohol, something has been overlooked.
While I can't deny alcohol causes many problems here, it is not the biggest problem facing our campus. Since I've been attending OU, there have been several stranger rapes on or around campus. To my knowledge, none of them have been resolved. Acquaintance rape and sexual assault are common. Surely nobody can deny these problems are more important than underage drinking. However, the prevailing attitude here appears to be that only alcohol-related issues are worth dealing with.
It is clear to me why alcohol is so much of a bigger issue than rape and sexual assault. It's all about public image. The party school image we have is bad for the university, and therefore, bad for the town. Because people all over the state know about the parties, but nobody knows about the rapes, the rapes will continue to be swept under the rug.
I think it is time to ask university administration and city officials to swallow their pride, forget about their reputations and finally focus on what's really important.
as321996@oak.cats.ohiou.edu
"Program aimed at attracting minorities," Oct. 26
The Multicultural Visitation Program was sponsored and organized by the Office of Admissions. Ohio University Recruiting Society assisted them with this program. Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc., who performed at the step show, was left out of the article.
"Night owl students out of luck in their search for open computer labs," Oct. 28
This is not the first year the Student Senate has formed a technology committee.