Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reser Stadium, packed to the brim with orange and black, was full for the 2024 homecoming football game \u2014 and as a Wolf, I had no business being in the stands, but I was anyway. A friend invited me at the last minute when she scored an extra ticket and needed someone to accompany her and I volunteered, despite not knowing much about football or Oregon State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was, however, shocked by the stadium\u2019s student section, a sold-out sea of color, all moving with one another. We weren\u2019t jammed in with them \u2014 I\u2019m not a Beaver \u2014 but instead by a lot of former alumni, also <\/em>chanting in tandem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The game proceeded with a marching band, the school\u2019s chamber choir and fireworks \u2014 literal fireworks \u2014 exploding over our heads after the national anthem. I was dumbfounded by the extravagance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The massive screen to our right flashed camera shots of the crowd, students I recognized and didn\u2019t. As an Oregonian, born and raised, a lot of my peers from high school eventually moved on to Oregon State, and, before I found Western, I expected to as well. After all, my dad went here, his dad went here \u2014 where else would I go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were fog machines, giveaways during breaks, two mascots, a massive cheer team and an even larger football roster. I took a photo for the two men in front of me, father and son, excited to be back at an OSU game, and looked around as other alumni recognized each other and connected again after years. And, honestly, we had a great time. The crowd was wild, the lights were blinding and the game was fun <\/em>to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I thought: why aren\u2019t Western football games like this? Or, better, why don\u2019t they feel <\/em>like this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s the obvious, the sheer magnitude of OSU students and seemingly endless funding. That\u2019s not something we can put on Western, nor the city of Monmouth for its smaller infrastructure \u2014 in turn, Western gains a lot from its close-knit feel and walkable campus, as well as the safety aspect of the school, with Monmouth being one of the safest cities in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n OSU\u2019s shiny football games are well-known and televised, often discussed in the area, and especially the known rivalry games between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. If you grew up here, you\u2019ve probably been asked: are you a Duck or a Beaver?<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re undoubtedly entertaining and central to the OSU culture, which appears far different from our beloved Western’s \u2014 especially in regard to party culture. OSU\u2019s rampant binge drinking standard at events is infamous and lethal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supposedly, OSU suffers from a lack of personal connection between not only students but professors and their classes due to class size. On top of that, it may be well-kept, but it\u2019s not as easy to navigate or cross campus on time. I\u2019ve also heard reports of mediocre professors, not even to mention the monstrous price tag tacked on tuition. One of my Beaver friend\u2019s classmates recently admitted to dropping out of OSU due to the cost, something that no person should ever have to do when pursuing higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It makes me feel immensely grateful for Western\u2019s resources and high acceptance rate. I\u2019ve been offered a lot of financial aid, as well as exceptional staff who have been nothing short of supportive and passionate. Some of my professors work two jobs \u2014 not because they need to, but because they love teaching at Western. Besides that, I love the campus, the red brick of the buildings, the squirrel epidemic and the small class sizes. I get to learn first-hand, I can communicate with professors who know my name and I get to work here, for the newspaper on campus. And, if I wanted to, I could ride a bike on campus and expect it to remain where I left it \u2014 unlike at OSU, with its theft and parking shortage problems. Oh, man, the parking over there \u2014 expensive, with poor parking services and senseless fees and parking zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The job opportunities at Western are endless, chasing ever-growing accessibility and promoting diversity in each department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I adore my major in American Sign Language studies and love mentioning the program to students at other universities. That was the whole reason I came here, but it\u2019s not the only reason I stayed. I tacked on communications as a major due to its flexibility and online class availability with the help of an advisor, finding my footing finally in my third year of college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I once felt that Oregon State University was the only option. Western worried me; I was worried I wouldn\u2019t make connections that last or \u201chave fun\u201d the way the student section did at the OSU homecoming game. But fireworks can\u2019t cover up an insane price tag, non-learning culture or unbearable parking services, no matter how shiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We left at halftime, a little hazy from the extreme volume and a bit tired. I was glad to return home and to resume my classes the following week, at a college that was taking care of me as well as all of my classmates and their professors and staff. I shed my borrowed Beaver gear, handed it back to my friend and bid farewell to a school I was better off without.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact the author at howleditorinchief@mail.wou.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief Reser Stadium, packed to the brim with orange and black, was full for the 2024 homecoming football game \u2014 and as a Wolf, I had no business being in the stands, but I was anyway. 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