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The
College Green
The College Green is the center of the Ohio University's Athens campus.
With its brick walkways and shade trees, it has provided
 a quiet respite
to Ohio University students for over 190 years. The three oldest
buildings on campus are located on the College Green. Cutler, McGuffey,
and Wilson halls date from the 19th century and are fine examples of
Georgian architecture. Cutler, which currently houses the administrative
offices of the president and others, was built in 1816 and has been
designated a National Historic Landmark.
Also on the College Green is Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial
Auditorium. The west portico of the auditorium faces the center of the
Green and is the site of a series of plaques honoring famous individuals
who have spoken on campus, including Teddy Roosevelt, Warren Harding,
Eleanor Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and John Kennedy.
The Campus Gate is located at the northwest corner of the Green. At the
corner of Court and Union Streets, it is where Ohio University and the
City of Athens meet. The gate greets all who enter with an inscription
that reads:
So enter that daily thou mayest grow
In knowledge, wisdom and love.
For those departing, another inscription reads:
So depart that daily thou mayest better serve
Thy fellowmen, thy country and thy God.
Facing Cutler Hall, on the north side of the Green, is a
second gate, the Class Gateway, also known as the Old Campus Gate.
Centered between its two arches is a stone tablet inscribed with a
passage from the Ordinance of 1787 that reads: "Religion, morality, and
knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of
mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be
encouraged." The gate was an alumni gift and commemorates the graduation
of 1815, the first in the Old Northwest Territory.
Located between the two College Green gates is the Athens County
Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It was erected in 1893 to honor the 2,610
citizens of Athens County who served during the Civil War. The brick and
stone plaza was added to the monument in recent years.
The Colors
The green and white colors of Ohio University date back to 1896. Before
that time, the University's unofficial colors were blue and white.
However, it soon became apparent that these colors would be unacceptable
for the new football team to wear. Ohio's newly hired football coach,
Samuel McMillen, suggested that Ohio adapt as its colors olive green and
white, which were worn at McMillen's alma mater, Dartmouth College. The
proposal was put before the student body for a vote, and green and white
became the colors of the school's uniforms in the fall of 1896. Down
through the years, the olive green has evolved into a lighter, "Hunter"
green color. As a side note, McMillen never coached a game for Ohio
University, as personal problems kept him from arriving in Athens in the
fall of 1896.
The Fight Song
Ohio University's fight song, entitled "Stand Up and Cheer," has been
sung as an "athletic song" since the early 1900s. The song's words and
theme were adapted from a previous melody, the author of which is
unknown.
Stand Up & Cheer
Stand up and cheer
Cheer loud and long for old Ohio,
For today we raise
The Green and White above the rest.
Our team is fighting,
And we are bound to win the fray;
We've got the team,
We've got the steam,
For this is old Ohio's day!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
The Alma Mater
Ohio University's alma mater, entitled "Alma Mater, Ohio," was also
created by a special contest. In 1915, Kenneth S. Clark, a graduate of
Princeton University, entered the contest to create an "alma mater song"
for Ohio University and won the $150 first prize. Entries for this
contest were received from all parts of the United States.
Alma Mater, Ohio
When e'er we take our book of mem'ries
And scan its pages through and through
We'll find no days that glow so brightly
As those we spent at old O.U.
Within our Alma Mater's portals
We meet her children hand to hand
And when there comes the day of parting,
Still firm and loyal we will stand
Our Alma Mater calls us ever,
And love of country has its claim,
The one but makes us prize the other,
And thus we cherish both the same.
When Alma Mater sends us forward,
And in her name we stand in line,
Then we will serve the nation better,
For having gathered at her shrine.
Chorus
Alma Mater, Ohio,
Alma Mater, brave and fair!
Alma Mater, we hail thee,
For we own thy kindly care.
Alma Mater, Ohio,
When we read thy story o'er,
We revere thee and cheer thee
As we sing thy praise once more.
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