Dr. J's Message for Nov. 16-23, 2009
There are a lot of ways to celebrate Beat Michigan Week. You can be altruistic and donate blood, collect food for the hungry, raise funds for cancer research, or take part in several other charitable events linked to the football game between Ohio State and Michigan. You can also cheer at the Pep Rally, throw a pie at a Wolverine, make Buckeye crafts, or learn to tango (so you can do a classy victory dance?) You can even meet Grammar Girl and get tips on punctuating your banner correctly-should there be a comma in "Go Bucks"? Here's the full schedule.
There are also special rituals within groups. The football team gets little gold pants charms for each win over Michigan. Many organizations sponsor parties, and groups of friends often create their own traditions. The whole town goes a little bit crazy, with parties and events everywhere from elementary schools to downtown offices. Even the babies born at the OSU Medical Center this week sport little scarlet and gray hats. You're never too young or too old root for the Buckeyes-but it's never better than when you're a student here at the home of the Best Fans, Best Band, and Best Team in the Land.
I hope you have a great time taking part in some of the established traditions and in creating your own special memories. Do be careful, though, and avoid putting yourself at risk of harm. Let's keep all the "bleeding scarlet and gray" confined to the Red Cross Blood Battle, where it will do some good and demonstrate who is No.1 in the Big Ten. It stinks like a skunk bear (aka wolverine) to spend game day nursing an injury, cleaning up a mess, or raising bail.
It may interest you to know that when Mirror Lake was cleaned last summer, the items found in it included, among many other things, lots of broken glass, a fence post, a dozen cell phones, clothing, a mattress, and a microwave oven! While those items are gone, you have no idea what is now laying under the shallow, murky, duck doo-infested water. I'll also point out that hyperthermia makes you turn blue, which is not the color you want to be wearing this week.
Even if you're not ordinarily a football fan, I urge you to take part in some of the hoopla surrounding what ESPN calls one of the top ten biggest rivalries in college sports. Just be smart about it!
Go, Bucks! (I voted for the comma-direct address, don't you think?)
Dr. J
Javaune Adams-Gaston, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Life
Contact:
Ruth Gerstner
614-292-8424
rgerstner@studentlife.osu.edu