Commonly in a college town, it becomes inevitable that a distinct language will develop amongst its students. This phenomenon happened at Ohio University and when non-students hear our foreign chatter, they have absolutely no idea what we even mean. Don’t know what Big Mamma’s is? I’ll explain later. Whether it’s while you’re watching a football game or heading to a fest, if you use any of these terms or own a shirt with any of these sayings printed on it, you just might be a Bobcat.
10. No, I don’t know Logan Paul (and I don’t want to)
You might know Logan Paul from Vine. Then again, you might not, because no one really cares about Vine anymore. If you do know who he is, you might also know that he used to be an OU student. The key words here are “used to be.” Where does he go to school now? We have no idea. Do we miss him? Not at all. “Who is Logan Paul?” said sophomore Annie Talmadge, exemplifying how little of an impact he left on us. There are lots of amazing and accomplished people who go to school here, so let’s all agree to forget about the blond idiot who filmed himself yelling and jumping into oncoming traffic here once upon a time.
9. I’m only going to the football game for the 110
Bobcats, let’s be honest—our football team could use a little more practice. In recent years, its performance has ranged from a dismal “at least we’ll still beat Miami” (which is what really counts, after all), to a respectable “not bad.” But people still pack into Peden Stadium week after week. Why? Well, many of them leave right after halftime, if that tells you anything. Our marching band kicks ass better than the team. “What other band program teaches you how to properly pelvic thrust?” freshman Richard Kern said. Just check the credits: The Marching 110 has been named the number one college marching band by CollegeXpress and its dances regularly go viral on YouTube.
8. Win or lose, Bobcats booze
OU is commonly known as a great party school. This is in large part due to the fact that much of our student body drinks like fish with fairly serious liver damage. Some may interpret this phrase as meaning that we’re all going to be raging alcoholics whether or not we succeed or fail. I like to think it means that we’re going to try to make everything as fun as we can, regardless of the situation. However, both may be correct.
7. Have you heard all the exciting stuff about the two parties running for student office this year? Me neither
Every year, a few groups of students campaign hard right before Student Senate elections and, every year, the majority of the student body has no idea what any of them really want to do (besides advertise themselves with chalk wherever possible). This year’s vaguely named parties, Impact and Unite, were no different. They always promise to make a difference in the way students are represented, but at the end of the day, our beloved administration will still end up ignoring us all and trying to do things like justify spending over a million dollars on an unnecessary, bat-free new house for President McDavis while the rest of us live in dorms with full-blown infestations and no Wi-Fi (you might also be a bobcat if you still get a little fired up when you hear the phrases “Coventry Lane” or “bat house”).
6. Let’s get Donkey later
We know that all college students love coffee. However, bobcats take this to the next level. We have several great coffee shops within a mile radius, but we pretty much unanimously agree that Donkey Coffee and Espresso are far away, but totally worth the price. It has that quintessential indie coffee shop feel that makes it a perfect place to spend the day doing homework, and the coffee itself makes the stuff you buy in the library taste like if someone were to concoct the smell of feet into a liquid.
5. Fest me, don’t arrest me
I assume this means “let me fest, don’t arrest me,” but that doesn’t rhyme. As mentioned above, Bobcats love to party, and fests are our biggest and most anticipated parties of the year. As such, they’re also the parties that get the most attention from law enforcement; police on horses stare at people from the street all day while arresting people who are being exceptionally stupid (often out-of-towners) or those who pet their horses without asking. In fact, one of the pieces of advice most frequently given to underclassmen, “don’t pet the horses without asking” just barely missed making this list.
4. Do you want to take the long way or the hill?
You can find Ohio University located in beautiful Appalachia, which means you’ll also find hills everywhere. This can turn getting across campus into a workout. “Bobcats have the best calves in the world thanks to the hills of Athens,” junior Courtney Montanye said. This means that we basically have two options: we can either suck it up and trek up Jeff or Morton, or we can take a much longer but less steep route. Either way, we do what we can to make it to class.
3. I need Big Mamma’s
Many OU students cite their first time eating a Big Mamma’s burrito as a transcendental, almost religious experience. It’s that good. It’s so good, in fact, that getting one late at night is not even an option—it’s a physical need. “Chipotle feeds my stomach. Big Mamma’s feeds my soul,” sophomore Cat Hofacker said. Just as we need water and air to live, Bobcats need Big Mamma’s to survive. I might actually need to take a break from writing this list so I can go get a burrito. BRB.
2. What happens in Athens stays in Athens
Apparently, we like to consider our town to be the Vegas of the Midwest. It’s not entirely clear why “what happens in Athens stays in Athens.” It could be because OU’s Wi-Fi never works, making it virtually impossible to communicate with the outside world. Maybe it’s because a lot of people come to Athens and never leave. It’s probably because Athens knows how to party and we all leave with significantly less money than we originally had.
1. Muck Fiami
Some of the other phrases on this list might not be well-known to all OU students, but every Bobcat knows this one. It’s emblazoned on T-shirts and screamed at assorted sporting events. In addition to really, really loving our school, we have a deep, unshakeable hatred for everything about Miami University.
