The Daily O’Collegian

Editor’s Note: This is the first part of a two-part story series about other OSUs. Part two will be printed in Tuesday’s edition.

Being in Stillwater, we are constantly surrounded by other OSU fans and a sea of orange and black.

We spend nine months out of the year here going to class, cheering at athletic events, meeting people, tailgating, hanging out on the library lawn, doing community service and living up the college experience.

We inevitably get wrapped up in our community, sometimes it seems living and breathing Oklahoma State University. However, the same is true for over 44,000 students to the north of us who also go to the OSU, Ohio State University that is.

Life is much the same there as it is here, yet different in so many ways.

In 1870 the school was also established by the Land-grant act as the Ohio Agriculture and Mechanical College in Columbus.

In 1878, the name changed to Ohio State University. Columbus is now the state’s capital and home of the Blue Jackets, which is an NHL team.

With over 710,000 people, it is the 15th largest city in the United States. This is an obvious difference from our small town community.

The campus, which Rolling Stone Magazine named No. 10 in the nation for campus scenes that rock, is also much larger than our own — in size and population.

Ohio State has the second largest enrollment in the nation, second only to the University of Texas. It has over twice as many students as our own campus and is double its size.

Angela Suarez, architecture senior, whose family lived in Ohio, took a tour of the campus when she was deciding which college to attend.

She said the campus is really spread out and you have to take a bus from class to class. She was turned off by the size.

“It was too big, you’re just a number,” Suarez said.

On the other hand, at OSU “you have the opportunity to build more friendships and relationships,” said Shannon Ruess, an animal science senior.

Ruess, who is from Ohio, went to an Ohio State satellite campus for two years before transferring to OSU. She was at the point where she needed to make the decision of either going to the main campus or looking into other colleges. After her adviser told her the best opportunities for her would be at either Texas A&M or OSU, she came for a visit.

“After two hours of driving through Oklahoma I knew this is where I wanted to go,” Ruess said. “OSU is a nice small campus with a whole different type of atmosphere. Ohio State is a city within a city. A lot of people know your name here.”

Although Ohio State is a huge university, they try to make things student-friendly. Students get a free ride around campus on the campus area bus service. They can also ride the city bus anywhere in the city for free with a valid student I.D. Additionally, the annual events and opportunities to get involved keep students connected.

Some of their favorite traditions, according to the university’s Web site, include football games, welcome week, the oval in the spring, beat Michigan week, tailgating, homecoming and finals week late night breakfast.

While we cheer on the Cowboys, Ohioans are busy rooting for the Buckeyes in their scarlet and gray T-shirts.

The buckeye, which is a type of tree, is the mascot for 36 varsity sports. Although a tree may not be the most intimidating of mascots, there is a deeper meaning behind the choice.

The buckeye is native to Ohio and prevalent in the Ohio River Valley. According to the Web site, the buckeye grows where others can’t, it’s difficult to kill and it adapts to its circumstances.

Football is important to Ohio State. The Buckeyes were the No. 1 team in 2002 and according to ESPN, are ranked No. 15 for 2004. Ohio State’s biggest rival is Michigan, which ESPN named the No. 1 greatest rivalry.

One of the similarities between Ohio State and OSU is we both have entertaining athletics, said Sarah Sargent, agriculture communications graduate student.

Sargent is from Ohio and finished her undergraduate degree as a Buckeye. Every year the game is anticipated with a spirit-filled “Beat Michigan Week.”

The oval is another part of life that is ingrained in a Buckeye. It is the heart of campus and when the weather is nice it is where students gather to talk, eat and play; much like library lawn.

Every Cowboy knows we have the best homecoming celebration, but Ohio State also has an action-packed week with lots of festivities.

Football 101 is a chance for students to learn the basics of the game from former Buckeye and all-pro NFL linebacker, Chris Spielman. Along with other activities, students participate in a homecoming parade, pep rally and help with Habitat for Humanity.

This year both campuses had the opportunity to hear from Better Than Ezra. The band played at Ohio State’s Buckeyethon, which is a dance marathon that benefits Columbus Children’s Hospital.

We are also both waiting on recreation centers to finish construction, although the Buckeyes will be waiting until spring of next year.

With so many similarities, what would bring 43 Ohioans to Stillwater instead of to the OSU in their own backyard?

“Ohio State doesn’t have a school of fire protection,” said Russell Stine, fire protection and safety sophomore.

Sargent said she enjoys the mentality people have here.

“There is a close-knit feeling,” she said. “People are quite different. OSU is not as diverse but people are more friendly and it’s safer.”