Why are we
called ""THE" Ohio State University"?
In 1986, a new University logo was introduced in the hopes of moving
away from the "OSU" symbol, which had been used since 1977. The
change from simply "OSU" was said to "reflect the national stature
of the institution." University officials wanted the institution to
be known as "The Ohio State University," again, since OSU could also
mean Oregon State and Oklahoma State University.
However, the "The" was actually part of the state legislation when the
university was renamed in 1878. The following excerpt is from the
Board of Trustee minutes:
"...the educational institution heretofore known as the 'Ohio
Agricultural and Mechanical College,' shall be known and designated
hereafter as 'The Ohio State University.'"
Those who wanted the name change thought the original name was too
narrow in scope, and that it was inadequate for the institution that
was the only beneficiary of the land grant act. President Edward
Orton was insistent that a new name would separate the institution
from other colleges in Ohio.
Legend also has it that "The" was used to show the other colleges
which institution was supposed to be the leader in the state - both
in size and in financial support from the legislature.
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Who wrote Carmen Ohio and what does the title mean?
Fred Cornell was a four-letter athlete, a member of the OSU Glee
Club, an amateur poet, and the composer of the words to Carmen
Ohio. There are varying accounts as to when and where he
actually wrote the words. It was either in 1902 on a train coming
back from a horrible football defeat in Ann Arbor or in 1903 at the
request of the Men’s Glee Club. Both stories agree that it was sung
publicly for the first time by the Glee Club in 1903. The word
"Carmen" means "song or poem" in Latin and Spanish and "Ohio" comes
from an Indian word which means "the beautiful river."
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Why are the OSU
colors scarlet and gray?
A committee of three students decided on the colors for the
university during the 1878 Spring Term. The original colors selected
for OSU were orange and black. However, because Princeton had
already chosen those colors, the committee decided to change their
decision to scarlet and gray. Alice Townshend, one of the members on
the committee, reported that the colors did not signify anything.
Instead, the committee wanted to choose something that was a nice
combination and had not been used by any other college.
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What is unique
about Orton Hall?
Orton Hall is constructed of building stone from the state of Ohio.
The stone is arranged in the order it exists in the bedrock of the
state. The older stone forms the lower part of the building, the
newer stone the upper part. The stone work in the entrance hall is
also completely from Ohio, including the floor tiles which are made
of Ohio clay.
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Where was the first
student union?
The first Ohio Union is now Enarson Hall. The cornerstone laying
ceremony for the "old" Ohio Union was held on April 12, 1909. The
building opened in the spring of 1911 and was the first student
union to be built at a state university and the fourth of its kind
in the United States.
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How did the Oval
come about?
The original campus design did not include the Oval or anything
similar. However, in 1893 the master plan for the campus proposed a
group of buildings around a central open space. The first reference
to this space as "the oval" was in 1910. Since then the Oval,
approximately 11 acres, has been the scene of a great variety of
student, faculty, and alumni activities.
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Is Mirror Lake a
real lake?
Originally, a spring supplied much of the water for Mirror Lake and
was a source of drinking water for both the campus and people living
nearby. A city sewer was constructed in the ravine in 1891 on the
south side of the lake, but it was so poorly built that the lake and
spring disappeared. The sewer was reconstructed in 1892 and water
once again flowed through the spring. The increasing coverage of the
ground surface by campus buildings and paved areas permanently dried
up the spring in the 1920s. After that time, well water, river
water, and city water became the sources used to feed water into the
lake. The lake holds 91,000 cubic feet of water.
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What is that
marker on campus?
OSU is located on the 40th latitude, which measures the
distance north or south of the Equator. OSU is 40 degrees north of
the Equator. The stone marker is located between University Hall and
the Main Library. The 40th latitude also passes through
Toledo, Spain, Boulder, Colorado, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Who was Maudine
Ormsby?
Maudine was the Homecoming Queen in 1926, nominated by students in
the College of Agriculture. However, she was also a Holstein cow!
Maudine was chosen based on the disqualification of the other
candidates due to voting improprieties. Maudine was even a part of
the Homecoming parade, although she was left in the barn during the
dance.
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When was Ohio
Stadium built?
The campaign to build Ohio Stadium began in 1920 with the Golden
Anniversary of the University’s founding. The Stadium was completed
in 1922 as the first horseshoe-shaped, double deck stadium in
America. The Stadium was dedicated that year during the OSU vs.
University of Michigan game (OSU lost 19-0). 70,000 fans came to
that game, and by the third quarter 10,000 hot dogs, 70 gallons of
coffee, 8,000 boxes of Cracker Jack, and 70,000 bottles of pop had
been sold. The Stadium is on the National Register of Historic
Places due to its historical importance.
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Where did Woody
Hayes get the phrase "paying forward?"
According to Mrs. Hayes, Woody’s reference in his speeches to
"paying forward" was taken from the poet Emerson’s "Essay on
Compensation."
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Who came up with
Script Ohio?
Script Ohio was first performed by the OSU marching band on October
10, 1936 under the direction of Eugene J. Weigel. The first
instrument used to dot the "i" was an E-flat cornet. Four games
later the job was given to a tuba player for a more dramatic
effect. For more information, please visit the OSU versus Michigan online exhibit.
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Where did Brutus
Buckeye come from?
In 1965 Brutus Buckeye hit the scene when student
Ray Bourhis, along with other members of the student organization Ohio Staters
Inc., convinced the OSU athletic council of the idea of a Buckeye as Ohio
State’s mascot. At the time, other schools used animals for their mascots and
actually had the animals present at the games. Bourhis thought the only animal
fitting for Ohio was the buck deer, but bringing an actual buck to games would
have been virtually impossible. He therefore chose a buckeye to serve as the
Ohio State mascot. The buckeye was later named Brutus in an all-campus naming
contest and began his career as a large fiberglass shell which weighed forty
pounds.
Brutus was the
responsibility of the Block 'O' cheering section during the early 1970s.
He was then turned over to the Athletic Department. Since then, Brutus has gone through several updates, and today is a
much more lightweight and active part of Ohio State sporting and spirit events.
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What is the bell
that is rung after OSU home victories?
The Victory Bell was a gift of the classes of 1943, 1944, and 1954.
One hundred fifty feet up in the southeast tower, members of Alpha
Phi Omega ring the bell after OSU victories, a tradition that began
after Ohio State beat the University of California on October 2,
1954. On a calm day, it is said that the bell can be heard five
miles away. The bell weighs 2,420 pounds and cost $2,535 to install.
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Why are we called "THE" Ohio State University"?