Did you know that Ohio University is technically Appalachian? Most students don’t. As college students, we don’t typically identify with the county or city we’re living in. We identify more with the university and what benefits us. We do not take the time to acknowledge our surrounding community. They created this university so why shouldn’t we interact with them?
Out of the three people I interviewed, all of them did not identify as Appalachian because they were not born here. Kenny McNulty said, “No I wasn’t born in Appalachia. I’m an Ohioan if that counts.” They realize that they attend a university in an Appalachian area, but technically that does not make them Appalachian. When asked if they knew they lived in Appalachia, two said no and Erin Wible said “It feels like living in the middle of nowhere. If you could bring the south to Ohio, it’d be Appalachia. Like, the fact that they have spit jars.” The other two interviewers didn’t even know and did not care to know that they live in Appalachia.
The one factor all the interviewers had was that they all believed Ohio University should be more involved in the surrounding community. Ben Clos said “Living here at the university, we should know about the culture around us.” Most students feel this way. Appalachia is a very impoverished area and we are lucky to have the opportunity to help. Students feel that we need to give back to the community because they allow us to study and live here for four years, maybe longer.
Overall, students do not feel as if they are Appalachian, but they do feel that they need to help their surrounding community.
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