Events | From Woody's Couch

President Rightmire speaks to students from the balcony of the Library, Freshman Week, 1929

The current celebration of Welcome Week has emerged from several university traditions:

“Know Ohio Week” was the term coined for the first week of Autumn Quarter, 1925. Its purpose was to acclimate the freshmen to college life, and included such events as a welcome address from the President, William Oxley Thompson (it was not yet called Convocation), a bonfire, open football practice, and Cane Rush.

In 1927, the idea to welcome freshmen to campus became “Freshman Week”. Freshmen came four days prior to the start of classes and had the chance to become familiar with the university and its traditions, take placement exams , and get to know classmates before the official start of classes–and the return of the upperclassmen. The program was redeveloped in 1957 when freshmen began coming to the university over the summer to take the required tests. They then only arrived two days prior to the start of classes.

Freshman Week, 1953

Ohio Staters Inc. campus bus tour, 1953

By 1970, our modern interpretation of “Welcome Week” was becoming recognizable: Convocation (held on Monday) had become a tradition, as had the ice cream social. There were free movies and concerts on campus, and picnics on the Oval. By the ’80s, Welcome Week had become an institution. The first reference to the Student Involvement Fair was in 1984 and by 1992 there were 100 student organizations represented.

filed by C.N.

Convocation, 1960

Welcome Week student involvement fair, 1988

One of our favorite days of the year is today: the opening of the Ohio State Fair. We thought we’d show some photos of OSU’s involvement in the fair, as well as a few tidbits from its past:

Ohio State Fair Exhibit, 1949

* Alumni receptions were held on the fairgrounds, according to a 1914 Alumni Monthly article, likely because of so many OSU graduates were involved in agricultural activities at the fair;

* In 1931 OSU took top honors for two of its Belgian mares;

* The next year, former head football coach John Wilce played none other than George Washington in a bicentennial pageant. Wilce, you may remember, graduated from OSU’s medical school in 1919 and led the football program from 1913-1923.