OU 101

With the winter only a few months away, the co-ed honors fraternity Phi Sigma Pi is having a coat drive from Nov. 2 to Nov. 16 to help children at Trimble Elementary School in Glouster stay warm.

In a blast of light, color and culture, the annual Indian holiday Diwali will be celebrated at Ohio University on Saturday, November 8. At Baker Center, attendees will have the opportunity to observe Indian music and dance performances, followed by a dinner in the fourth floor ballroom.

The business world has a culture of its own that many Ohio University students are not aware of. However, services on campus can help students understand the etiquette of the business world.

While you have 360-odd days to ponder what you will be for next year's Halloween celebration, it’s never too early to find alternatives for Sassy Cupid or Officer Pat U Down without breaking the bank.

Ohio University students have worn purple capes and conducted surveys, not for fun, but because of the Psychology 101 classes in which they are enrolled. Speakeasy took a closer look at why these experiments are required and how students benefit from them.

Athens’ Mardi Gras-like Halloween bash attracts partiers from across the state and even farther away. They are not the only ones here, though -- police and staff from the City of Athens and Ohio University also will join the crowd.

Every Tuesday night students gather in the basement of United Campus Ministry on College Street to enjoy a home-cooked meal as well as the sense of community Boaz Ramos' vegan cooking workshop offers.

For me, little kids dressed up as superheroes carrying around pillowcases are better symbols of Halloween than gravestones, skeletons and severed hands. So I’ve had to seriously contemplate what to do about the Ohio University Halloween experience.

The Ohio University Women’s Center is offering a new program for female undergraduates to gain a professional mentor for the rest of the school year.  

Ohio University's College Republicans may be few in numbers, but they are still working hard for their local candidates. Ohio's importance in the upcoming elections is giving them an extra incentive to be heard.

Coming into college, I expected to have my fair share of justified blushes, where heat rises to my cheeks as my face turns sunburn-red. I expected it, but I wasn’t looking forward to it.

According to a survey done by Ohio University, 94 percent of students would not call for help in a drug- or alcohol-related emergency. The new Medical Assistance Program is an attempt by OU to change this statistic.

Ohio University students might doubt the appeal of a university-organized comedy show as an alternative to the party scene, but Laughter After Dark is anything but unexciting.

Fashion is not my forte, but allow me to express some frustration and observations. In high school, the robes of the royal had the Hollister, Abercrombie, or Aéropostale label. I think the popularity of labels is childish, so I figured it’d be different in college.

I knew house searching would be competitive when we started, but I never expected to sign a lease five days later.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend your nights in a cardboard box? The sad truth is that people across the country are forced to. That is where Habitat for Humanity steps in.

Ohio University’s College Democrats are working harder than ever to get Sen. Barack Obama elected as the next president of the United States. With the days until Nov. 4 dwindling before members' eyes, their main focus is getting students registered to vote.

Whether you’re a secret admirer, princess of pop culture or an innocent bystander, admit it: you’ve envied your share of expensive celebrity wardrobes. It’s time to stop drooling and to get shopping. With school starting right around the corner, it’s time to focus on you.

Figuring out a workable schedule for each quarter is avoided by some and enjoyed by others. Online classes have been around for a while, yet many students are not aware of the variety available throughout the year.

Our world is in peril right now.

After a year of inactivity, Athens County’s prize-winning multimedia Web site “Soul of Athens” is ready to reawaken. This time, however, an almost entirely different team of producers and designers will be at its helm.

Few news sources at Ohio University discuss controversial government issues. The talk show, “Liberty Now! Live,” however, has no problem criticizing the government and politics.

When students come to Ohio University, they are informed of the different resources Alden library provides, ranging from the Student Writing Center to the various ways to communicate with a librarian.

I thought it was going to be easy to write about sex. I thought it would be so easy to take something that I am willing to talk about with my friends and put it here on Speakeasy.

The university dining services has decided that they are the all-powerful supreme being at the school and went on a mass-firing of its employees.

Today, Friday April 25, will probably be remembered as the longest day of my life. Even when I am old and wrinkly and surrounded by grand kids, I will remember April 25 of 2008.

With the end of the quarter quickly approaching, Ohio University students are looking forward to the start of summer fun. However, a certain group of OU students are looking forward to something much greater—graduation.

Seniors have four years to make an impact on Ohio University’s campus and make their names and faces known in the city of Athens. Now they have a chance to be formally recognized for dedication to the community as OU’s Most Recognizable Senior.

So you’ve just been admitted to your graduate program of choice at Ohio University. Now what? The Graduate  students' guide to Athens blog will help ease your transition from the real world to life as a graduate student.

Rush Limbaugh has said a lot of crazy things in his day. His rants have infuriated and inspired throughout the years, and now he is trying to influence the Democratic primaries. Could the sad truth be that it's actually working?

Elections are approaching, but the ones on Ohio University students’ minds are not the country's presidential elections. The race for OU Student Senate president concludes on May 15 when students will vote for whom they wish to lead them next school year.

The biggest party weekend in Athens has finally arrived, and it will not be wild and crazy college students drinking most of the beer. It will be the moms.

The Consumer Protection Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office was on campus Wednesday, April 23 hosting the seminar “Becoming a Savvy Consumer: Protecting Yourself Against Fraud and Scams.”

Surreal! Unfair! How can this be?!

These were some of the thoughts that confronted me.

In front of my face, hidden in bright orange paper,

Lay a great challenge, a strange caper.

For my Journalism 105 class, the first project had come at last;

We were to abstain from any media for a full day, in other words, a fast.

As the political divide between the two Democratic candidates continues to widen, some people are beginning to wonder how much more the party can take. Some people are suggesting that the solution might rest in changing from Obama vs. Clinton to Obama AND Clinton.

People make mistakes. We are constantly reminded of this by the media and in our own lives.

I am good at a great deal of things, whether it be school work or random hobbies. So it stands to reason that there must be some things that I am not naturally talented at doing.

Many children today live without homes and loving families. The foster care system is helping these children find a place to belong, and Milestones Foster Care is providing quality services to children in Southeastern Ohio. Sarah Chambers is just one story.

Studying abroad is often a student’s choice for traveling and experiencing different cultures. For many, however, experiencing an exotic country should not include studying. Contiki holidays can help provide the traveling experience of which students dream.

Nothing is more suited to my method of dangerously depressive sou- searching than the open highway. Moving from the humid Florida air to the crisp, cool mountain air of southern Ohio was the beginning of my search for the American Dream.

I have done my best to not complain too much about the weather the past few weeks, but now I am done with that. Done. Finished. Over it. To quote whichever politician -- I am taking the gloves off.

One of the greatest assets that a young person can have today is an awareness of the world around them. Ohio University and Education Abroad offer seemingly endless destinations at affordable prices for any student looking for a multicultural experience.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. A shortage of blood in the Central Ohio region has the American Red Cross worrying how it will provide.

With their siblings coming into town, students have been charged with the responsibility of keeping them entertained. Fret not, because with every organization set to please the sibs, this is the most diverse and activity-filled Sibs Weekend yet.

Ever since I became a pretend-a-freshman, I have found myself increasingly out of touch with the world at large.

Dad’s Weekend can be a time of family bonding, an eye opening experience for fathers and kids alike. It can also turn into a beer-chugging, shot shooting, swashbuckling good time for college students and their middle-aged fathers.

While walking from class to class, stopping at a vending machine to get a bottle of water doesn’t really seem like a bad idea when it’s convenient and easily disposable.

 

The symbolic importance of Martin Luther King Jr. is unquestionable. For many, he represented change and promoted tolerance while teaching peace: a triple threat in the world of civil rights.

 

It’s the end of the quarter, and I’ve found myself wondering where all the weeks went--you know, all 10 of them. I’m wondering if I’ve really gotten the “college experience,” or if I’ve just managed to get by.

The Baker University Center Ballroom was buzzing with the sights, smells and sounds of Africa on November 11 as the African Student Union helped to host the first “Taste Africa! Benefit Dinner” to raise money for an Eastern Africa Initiative.

Every year around September there seems to be a universal groan from freshmen entering their new dorm room. "That's my roommate? Crap. And I have to share this tiny room with them. Crap."

I am not a freshman.

I've always been really good at procrastinating, but the past several weeks have started to show me that I've only been good at it because my life has let me put things off.

Big expenses and little cash flow define typical student's finances. If you find yourself counting out quarters to get your caffeine fix, then these tips on how to bring in more cash than you spend are for you.

College students who do not get involved in extracurricular activities often give the excuse that there are none. Ohio University’s 300-plus student organizations, which include everything from athletics to dancing, comedy to meditation, prove those students wrong.

Whatever the reason may be college campuses like Ohio University seem to be predominately represented by liberals. Conservatives are fighting back to make themselves a prominent political voice in Athens.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a war on. I'm talking about the one of campus, of course. According to Facebook, there are 631 participants, not counting the various people who have joined the fight but not the group.

Nothing sends residence hall inhabitants into a frenzy more than an unwelcome intruder or unexpected occurrence. Unfortunately, because of a little habit known as “tailgating,” intruders are more prone to show up right in front of someone’s door. 

In a town where every night of the week is a drinking night, everyone needs a couple recovery days. So whether you are hungover, broke or just bored, here are plenty of low-key endeavors to keep you occupied.

As week five settles in, students know that it’s time to get serious about what college is really all about. Wednesday’s drinking turns into studying and Blackboard gets more hits a day than Facebook.

Fall quarter in Athens is full of colorful leaves falling, that crisp chill in the air and best of all, harvesttime. If students are looking for those perfectly homegrown apples and fresh pumpkins straight from the vine, they don't have to look further than the Athens Farmers Market.

In the “real world” of job-hunting, how a person dresses during the interview can really influence an employer’s decision. Ohio University’s Association for Women in Communications is hosting a Business Apparel Fashion Show to offer advice on how to dress to impress.

Students often complain of nothing to do in Athens, or that the activities that do exist around campus become exhausted quickly. For those needing a little adventure, the Outdoor Pursuits program can be the perfect escape from the small-town blues.

Periodically, an e-mail is sent to Ohio University students’ mailboxes reminding them that their eBill is ready to be viewed. Upon opening, this eBill -- as informative and helpful as it can be -- has the tendency to be a bit hazy.

When there is trouble in academia, students look toward their academic advisers; however, not everyone is comfortable with his or her adviser or the advice they offer. If it’s time to make a change, then Speakeasy can help.

About one month ago, I paced to class, equipped with several layers and a scarf that hugged the majority of my face.

Now that spring has sprung a Speakeasy editor takes time to sound off about Spring grievances, on behalf of the Athens community.

The idea of finding a soul mate in college seems to be dimming as a casual hook-up is becoming the equivalent of an average relationship, but there still may be hope for the hopeless romantics in all of us.

The closest many of us get to the ocean now is picturing a warm beach through chattering teeth, but soon we may not even have spring break to dream about as waves of alarming information about the ocean crash a bit closer to home.

Forgetful dorm residents may have to consider applying for the open positions at the dining halls as the price for forgetting keys increased this quarter.

Many Ohio University students associate their craziest adventures with being dressed up as movie stars or vampires, but I was far from Court Street and sporting a wet suit when I went for the ride of my life.

All of the long-awaited anticipation is over. The countless visitors that contributed to the Court Street overflow are departing campus, and all of the rest of us are gradually attempting to set ourselves back into reality. Although the weekend is over, I am very delighted to say that my first Halloween as an Ohio University student was a triumphant success.

Today I am envious, for I am among the sea of umbrellas, walking through campus while the upperclassmen find luxury in their dry, covered automobiles. Just another perk of being a freshmen, I suppose.

It is halfway into fall quarter, and so far I have endured a lot in these first few weeks of school. I went to my first party as an Ohio University student, I somehow (and very miraculously) made it to every class during my first week, I suffered through a broken kneecap, and the funny this is, I survived.

The disturbances on the weekend of Sept. 9 on Mill and Palmer streets left many residents wondering about the limits of the police when dealing with private property and large gatherings.

Among all the transitions from living at home to in the dorms, one of the biggest changes for freshman is leaving Momma’s home cooking.

When television first infiltrated the homes of average Americans, anchors were those who were trained in radio broadcasting. Eventually, universities got wise and began educating their students in how to do news for television. Think of the Internet as the new television.