An Appalachian Campus

Located within the heart of the Appalachian region, Ohio University is a college town that is largely separated from its surroundings. The campus contains a more urban, condensed environment than the area around it. Many of the students who attend OU are not from Athens, and there seems to be distinct differences between the life of students and locals. Many students don't fully understand Appalachian culture. A lot of them seem to have formed stereotypes and certain opinions on that of their neighbors. To better understand how many students perceive the local culture, we talked to several students and interviewed peers to gather their personal opinions on the topic.

We interviewed three subjects on the matter. All three were students at OU, including one from a northeastern suburb just outside Youngstown, Ohio; one from the urban Springfield (near Dayton); and another from McArthur, Ohio. To gauge the students' thoughts on Appalachia, we asked them a series a five questions:

Question 1: What does it mean to be Appalachian?

• Subject 1: This person felt that Appalachian describes someone living in or around the mountains, in a country setting involving mostly back roads.
• Subject 2: Our second interviewee believed that Appalachia involves a heavy emphasis on nature, "hick life," and chewing tobacco as representative terms of the culture.
• Subject 3: Said that to be Appalachia you need to obviously live there but also be proud of living there and represent the area to the best of your ability.

Question 2: How does Appalachian culture influence life at OU?

• Subject 1:  Our first responder said that the OU campus is a separate entity from the town of Athens, and that the town has little influence on the life of students.
• Subject 2: Thought that Appalachian culture and "townies" helped students have an appreciation for nature and the simple life, including things like hiking trails.
• Subject 3: Our third responder also believes that Appalachian culture does not influence Ohio University.

Question 3: Do you think we should be more aware of Appalachian culture?

• Subject 1: Felt that more awareness of the culture couldn't hurt, but also thinks it isn't crucial because it barely impacts students.
• Subjects 2: Subject two did not think it was at all necessary, and that the life outside campus does not matter to students.
• Subject 3: Said that the students should do more to become more aware of the culture. He also commented on the fact that learning any culture is beneficial because
  it has the potential to teach you new things
  or change the way you think about them

Question 4: Do you consider yourself Appalachian, why or why not?

• Subject 1: The first person we asked did not see themselves as Appalachian since the city he grew up in was a suburban area.
• Subject 2: Our second subject also believed that the area in which you've spent most of your life defines your cultural background. He too did not see himself as being Appalachian.
• Subject 3: Despite living in SE Ohio for the last year, our third subject said that he did not consider himself Appalachian because he didn't share their cultures values and was too new to the area.

Question 5: How can OU encourage communication with the surrounding area?

•  Subject 1: The first subject thought that the use of involvement programs and organized student activities could help connect students with the surrounding Athens area.
• Subject 2: He believed that getting out and participating in activities like nature trails and canoeing could help students appreciate the Appalachian environment.
• Subject 3: This subject said that OU could better connect with the surrounding area by hosting special events locals would find attractive, thus drawing them into campus to interact with all who live within it.

 
After obtaining the opinions of students at Ohio University we found that many of them don't consider themselves to be Appalachian and also feel that its culture has little influence on the life at OU. This leads us to believe that students should become more aware of their surroundings and try to interact with the nearby culture. The university could also make more of an effort to embrace its connections with Appalachia.

-Jim Banicki and Zach Heming