Finals Week at OSU

Mike enjoys a peaceful walk through The Ohio State University campus during finals week, contrasting between his relatively stress-free leisure and the visible anxiety of students preparing for exams. Arriving in the Thompson Library, he expresses nostalgia and praise for the various renovations (i.e. Ohio Union, Thompson Library, RPAC) and the overall transformation underwent at OSU.

Good morning, this is Mike George coming at you from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It is presently finals week, and the campus is full of stressed undergrads and graduate students trying to finish their theses or dissertations. As someone who lived that life about a decade ago, I can totally relate, but I am blissfully relieved to not be one of those poor bastards myself. I’m enjoying this beautiful campus without the stress for once!

I am presently on Woodruff Street, which is just north of the halfway point of campus along High Street. For the alumni watching, a lot has changed around here, much like the rest of Columbus; they are still building more. It is a beautiful December day, and I wanted to take a proper walkthrough on my way to the Thompson Library, which has become one of my favorite spots to study.

For those who graduated around 2009, the library was closed for renovations back then. Now, we get to reap the benefits of that renovation. I’m heading southward through The Oval. It’s fun to be here with no official association with the university — I don’t even get fundraising emails like I do from McGill. I just pretend to be a professor; I’ve got the trench coat to match the look. Maybe I should actually apply for a faculty position, since I have a master's degree.

(Network connectivity issues encountered in broadcast transmission)

We are back online. Despite a sprawling Wi-Fi network, there are apparently "voids" in the grid here. It’s good to know that in the year 2023, we haven’t perfected everything yet; there are still pockets where you can get off the grid for a moment.

Up ahead is the 18th Avenue Library, which houses the science, engineering, and music collections. The campus is gorgeous when it’s not under construction. These students don't realize how good they have it with a fully completed student union and the rewards of the construction my generation had to endure. In the distance, you can see Lincoln and Morrill towers with Ohio Stadium in the foreground.

I’m traversing the campus with WANDA. It’s interesting to see the reactions on people’s faces when they see her — some are curious, some are indifferent, and some just look like they’re thinking "what the fuck?". If I were an undergrad and saw some schmuck carrying a 6-foot-long tiki torch with speakers on the ends, I’d wonder what was going through his mind, too. I admire the folks who actually take the time to approach me with questions. We are at a university, after all, and I’m a fan of some unbridled curiosity!

We are now entering the magnificent Thompson Library. Behold the inside — it’s a marvelous space! Look at how beautiful this atrium is. This building is 11 stories in total, with a beautiful reading room at the very top, which is a quiet space for people getting productive work done.

That concludes our little gallivant through The Ohio State University campus. This has been Mike George, live from the Thompson Library in Columbus, Ohio. Take care of yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls — and take care of somebody else, too.