BOOK
WRITE YOUR OU STORY 2023-24
Presented by:
STUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow
You are viewing a treasure that has been handed down through generations of Petrels. The O BOOK has been a living piece of Oglethorpe History since the 1940s. This year’s edition, presented by the Alumni Association to all incoming first-year students, is a guide to ensure that new Petrels are aware of the active role you play in the larger history of OU.
BOOK
The O BOOK strives to make meaningful suggestions to help you make the most of your time at OU. In the pages that follow, you will learn about campus history and traditions that will help generate lifelong memories.
Oglethorpe University is rich in heritage. Where else can you climb a bell tower and ring the carillon to celebrate commencement? What other school has an acclaimed time capsule set to open in the year 8113? What other university has an elephant buried beneath its library? Who else can boast being a fellow graduate with honorary degree holders such as Amelia Earhart ’35, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ’32, and media mogul Ted Turner ’12—not to mention the countless number of successful scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers making a difference right now! The following pages of this book detail many of the events, traditions, celebrations, and oddities that make OU such a unique and special place. The Alumni Association serves as the keeper of those traditions and the purveyor and richness of this place, but we need your help! As a student you too must take up the mantle of learning all you can about this place and carrying that message into the future. If you participate in 10 of the 15 traditions listed on the following pages, you will be given a unique O Pin at a special event in the spring semester, and you will carry the important designation of an O.T.G. (Oglethorpe Tradition Guardian). Time to be Petrel Proud!
View of the interior of the Crypt of Civilization
HISTORY
TIMELINE OF OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY
1872 1863 1835
Oglethorpe University chartered in Milledgeville, GA on December 21.
Oglethorpe officially closes its doors on June 12. Its buildings are used as hospitals for wounded soldiers.
The Synod of Georgia officially requests Oglethorpe University close due to financial problems. It would not open again for forty years.
1861
Georgia secedes from the Union preceding the outbreak of Civil War. All Oglethorpe students of age enlist in the Confederate Army following commencement.
1870
Oglethorpe reopens in Atlanta on October 2.
1945
1932
Oglethorpe launches WJTL, the first ever college radio station.
The university institutes the Core Curriculum, which continues today as the foundation of an Oglethorpe education.
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YOU arrive at Oglethorpe.
1916
Thornwell Jacobs successfully reestablishes the university as Oglethorpe’s first freshmen class enters on September 1.
1940
Oglethorpe seals the Crypt of Civilization time capsule, not to be opened until 8113 A.D.
1965
Oglethorpe University becomes Oglethorpe College for a period lasting until 1975.
BOAR’S HEAD HONORARY FRATERNITY The Boar’s Head Honorary Fraternity was originally founded in January 1920, taking its name from the Oglethorpe Coat of Arms which features three boars’ heads. After a period of dormancy during the 1930s, the fraternity was re-founded in 1946, and membership to Boar’s Head was open to junior and senior males who maintained a high scholastic average, possessed leadership capabilities, and participated in extra-curricular activities. The fraternity became hosts of the Boar’s Head Ceremony, and it became custom to induct new members at that time until 1976.
LOST TRADITIONS
DUCHESS CLUB Founded in the fall of 1927 to promote the “social good will among excellent female students,” the Duchess Club was an honorary society open to junior and senior women who maintained an excellent academic record and were active participants in campus affairs. Traditionally, the group planned and executed the Boar’s Head celebration in conjunction with the Boar’s Head Fraternity. In 1976, along with the Boar’s Head Fraternity, the Duchess Club was incorporated to create the Boar’s Head/Duchess Club Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa.
THE OGLETHORPE BALL An annual formal dance that honored the founder of Georgia. As with other balls and events on campus, this formal was planned and executed by a student committee. Each year, a Lord and Lady Oglethorpe would be coronated and celebrated with a dance. The Oglethorpe Ball was a long-running tradition from the 1940s through the 1980s.
RAT WEEK AND BARBECUE Rat Week was a tradition that began in 1950 and continued through the 1960s. During that time, freshmen were fondly known as “Rats” as a means of separating them from the upperclassmen to encourage unity among the students through a series of fun activities and challenges. At the end of freshmen orientation, new students were treated to a barbecue with upperclassmen, faculty, staff, and parents on the banks of Lake Phoebe, now Silver Lake. To distinguish them from other students, freshmen were assigned paddles and were given gold and black hats to wear until Oglethorpe won its first basketball game of the season.
OGEE “Ogee,” as he was affectionately called, was once a Buddha figurine that presided over a Japanese garden behind Lowry Hall in 1939. While the garden eventually went away, the Buddha remained as a good luck charm for students. They would come to him, make a wish for their final exams, and leave coins in the figurine’s hands. In the late 1950s, students decided to designate him as a good luck mascot for the basketball team, so he was painted black and gold and given a freshman beanie. In 1963, Ogee was stolen by Georgia Southern students during an away game and was never seen again.
CAPPING CEREMONY Begun in 1954 at the start of Orientation Week, the Capping Ceremony served to ring in the official school year. Members of the senior class would don graduation robes, process into Lupton Auditorium, and be “capped” as a beginning of their final year of study.
TODAY’S OGLETHORPE
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SYMBOLS MOTTO
SAYINGS
Nescit Cedere—He or she does not know how to give up.
ALMA MATER Our dear Alma Mater, To you we sing our praise. Your gray stone and mortar give strength for the coming days. Then like the Petrel, feet near the ocean, We’ll rise thru wind and rain. Yes, Oglethorpe, you’re here to remind us Nescit Cedere.
FIGHT SONG Come on ol’ Oglethorpe, We’re going to take the lead. Our flag will fly on high and help us now to succeed. We’ll wave the black and gold and fight with all our might. Oh stormy petrel, stormy petrel, Fight! Fight! Fight!
MASCOT Stormy Petrel (pea-trull)—A small seabird that flies in the face of storms. According to legend, James Edward Oglethorpe, on his transatlantic voyage to Georgia in 1733, was inspired by the persistence of the petrel.
COAT OF ARMS The University uses as its coat-of-arms the crest of the Oglethorpe family, which had many ancient warriors in its Yorkshire English lineage. Their symbol was the ferocious wild boar. The coat-of-arms features three boars’ heads.
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ACADEMIC QUAD Oglethorpe’s major academic buildings are arranged around this large grassy rectangle. Many informal and formal activities take place on the academic quad including Quadfest in the fall, the Stomp the Lawn concert, and commencement in the spring. The original gothic buildings on the academic quad are on the National Register of Historic Places. Dr. Thornwell Jacobs called the granite halls the “Silent Faculty,” implying that they could inspire students to learn. CRYPT OF CIVILIZATION TIME CAPSULE Situated behind a stainless steel door in the lower level of Hearst Hall, the Oglethorpe Crypt was identified by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the first successful attempt to bury a record of this culture for any future inhabitants.” Sealed in 1940 by President Thornwell Jacobs, the Crypt is not to be opened until 8113 AD. It contains an encyclopedic inventory intended to be a “museum” of representative culture from the times of the Egyptians through the mid-twentieth century. The first item to be seen upon the opening of the Crypt is the “language integrator,” designed to teach twentieth century English to the generations of 8113. ELEPHANT In November 1941, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was performing in Atlanta. Eighteen circus elephants were poisoned by what was later determined to be arsenic. When nine of the beasts died, an enterprising professor in the Oglethorpe medical school had one of the elephants hauled to campus and deposited behind Lowry Hall for use in his comparative anatomy class. As the animal began to decay, a hole was dug next to the body, where the elephant was buried. ÖZGÖRKEY BELL TOWER Built as a freestanding structure in 1920 on Lupton Hall, the tower is a monument to Margaret Lupton built by her son, John T. Lupton. At one time, he owned the exclusive franchise to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The tower still has its original clock and bell chimes. The carillon atop the building was added in the early 1970s. In the 1920s two more sections with entrances were added to the tower to complete Lupton Hall as a unified academic building.
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FACTS
FICTION
OGLETHORPE TRADITION GUARDIAN
KEEP OU TRADITIONS SACRED, BECOME AN OGLETHORPE TRADITION GUARDIAN (O.T.G.) OU is steeped in rich, decades-old traditions that define what it means to be a Petrel. The following pages will help you make the most of your college experience by fully engaging you in these traditions—both long-standing and recent. The O BOOK is meant to be your Petrel scrapbook, where you can track the traditions that you experience. The more you do, the more you become Petrel Proud! Here’s how you can become an O.T.G.:
1
Read your O BOOK cover to cover.
2
Complete the traditions listed in the following pages of this book. Take a picture or video of yourself doing the activity or obtain proof by photographing a ticket stub, event program, etc.
3
Visit https://oglethor.pe/obook. Remember, completing 10 out of the 15 traditions will certify you as an Oglethorpe Tradition Guardian.
4
After the Alumni Engagement Office has received confirmation of your participation in at least 10 traditions, you will be sent an invitation to attend a celebration held in the spring to receive your very own O Pin bestowed on you by an Oglethorpe Alumni Association member.
Yes, it’s that simple—and that much fun! So make your first year at Oglethorpe count. Make it fun. Make it memorable. Make it all about gaining Petrel Pride. Get started now!
HERE’S HOW YOU SUBMIT THE O BOOK FORM 1
Visit https://oglethor.pe/obook
2
Select the traditions you have completed.
3
Enter your information, upload your images and submit!
Keep track of the traditions you complete in this book, and submit the form at any time once you have completed at least 10.
O.T.G.
HERE ARE THE TRADITIONS FOR YOU TO COMPLETE
OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION
SIGN THE HONOR CODE AT CONVOCATION Convocation is an event at which new Oglethorpe students sign the University Honor Code. By signing the Honor Code, Oglethorpe students agree to commit themselves to high standards of academic honesty and thus refrain from cheating or plagiarism. DURING ORIENTATION
JOIN A CAMPUS ORGANIZATION A great variety of organizations are open to Oglethorpe students. Visit the Student Life website at oglethorpe.edu/life to see a list of active groups.
CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES PARTICIPATE IN GREEK RECRUITMENT Greek membership can help make the transition into college life easier and more enjoyable for students. If you are interested in joining a Greek Organization, please visit greeklife.oglethorpe.edu to learn more. DATES VARY
WATCH (OR RUN) THE PETRELS OF FIRE RACE Kicking off on Oglethorpe Day at noon, 4 runners attempt to circumnavigate the Academic Quad between the bell tower clock’s first chime and the last. This tradition began in 1990 and is based on the movie, “Chariots of Fire,” thus inspiring the name, “Petrels of Fire.”
CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
TAKE PART IN A DAY OF SERVICE AND/OR PHILANTHROPY WEEK Oglethorpe organizes a variety of service days in which Oglethorpe students volunteer at various non-profits in the community. Several opportunities are also available to take part in small service projects during Philanthropy Week, hosted by the Advancement Office each fall, such as writing thank you notes to donors and making signs for the “Gratitude Garden.”
CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
DISCOVER THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES SYMPOSIUM LASS is an opportunity for students to present and expand upon their exemplary analytic and creative work produced during the academic year.
CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
PARTICIPATE IN THE BATTLE OF THE BLOODY MARSH Every fall, students have competed against faculty and staff in an Oglethorpe tradition that commemorates the 1742 battle in which university namesake General James Edward Oglethorpe and his troops defeated Spanish Troops in South Georgia. CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
GO TO BOAR’S HEAD
CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
This tradition celebrates the beginning of the holiday season and introduces the new members of O∆K. The celebration includes a holiday concert featuring a skit by Omicron Delta Kappa and performances by Oglethorpe music groups, followed by a holiday reception for the entire campus community.
SHOW YOUR PETREL PRIDE DURING OGLETHORPE DAY On the second Wednesday in February, the Oglethorpe community gathers to honor its namesake and celebrate Oglethorpe Day.
CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
ATTEND AN SGA MEETING The Oglethorpe Student Government Association is the guiding body for student life at Oglethorpe University. The SGA consists of three branches: an Executive Council, a Senate and a Programming Board. CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
PARTICIPATE IN QUADFEST AND/OR STOMP THE LAWN Held respectively in the fall and spring semester, these events celebrate the beginning and end of the school year. Sponsored by the SGA Programming Board, both feature music, games, food and fun!
CHECK OU CONNECT FOR DATES
GO TO A STORMY PETREL ATHLETIC EVENT Oglethorpe University has a long, proud athletic tradition, boasting numerous championship teams through the decades. Cheer on one of OU’s 16 men’s and women’s teams and feel the Petrel Pride!
DATES VARY
GO TO A PLAY OR CONCERT The Miriam H. and John A. Conant Performing Arts Center, completed in 1997, is a four-story state-of-the-art performance facility for Oglethorpe’s Theatre and Music programs.
DATES VARY
VISIT THE OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ART Established in 1993, OUMA shows nationally and internationally recognized exhibitions throughout the year — and provides student internship and work study opportunities.
HOURS VARY
PARTICIPATE IN THE CARILLON CEREMONY The last tradition you will take part in as a student is the Carillon Ceremony. Begun in 2005, graduating seniors have the opportunity to enter a “secret door” in Lupton Hall, climb up the bell tower, sign a historical carillon registry book and ring one of the bells by hand!
STUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow
Want to get more involved? The OU Alumni Office is looking for passionate Petrels to join the Student Alumni Association. This official student organization helps to plan events and programs to foster connections between alumni and students. Benefits of joining include: • Excellent experience to build personal and professional skills • Potential for networking with prominent OU alumni and friends • In-depth knowledge of the university • Great friendships
Think you have what it takes? Send an email to us at alumni@oglethorpe.edu to find out more!
This piece of Oglethorpe history belongs to:
BOOK
WRITE YOUR OU STORY
2023-24