Changing Campus Customs

I once spoke to an elderly gentleman who had attended Ohio State before World War II. He informed me that way back then, freshman guys were supposed to were "beanies" and were not supposed to cross the "Main Walk"- the sidewalk that stretches across the Oval from the entrance of the Main Library to the entrance of the campus- unless they wanted to risk getting dunked in Mirror Lake by upperclassmen.

This custom came to an *abrupt* end when World War II veterans started attending college on the GI Bill. Veterans, some of whom were married and in their mid-twenties, just weren't interested in that kind of fun and games.

I once shared that story with an active-duty Marine Sergeant who was going to take some college classes. *Rarely* have I managed to crack someone up that completely.

Here's a picture of the Oval from the 1930s-1940s. How things have changed!