Sample Self-Guided Tour Route

Sample Self-Guided Tour Route
*Please note that campus buildings may not be open on weekends.
1. Start with *Lupton Hall with the clock and bell tower.
2. Walk into *Hearst Hall to your right and go down stairs to view the time
capsule.
3. Walk through the Bookstore in Hearst out the side door and into Goodman
Hall. You can view the café and 24 hour computer lab.
4. Walk back up to the academic quad pointing out Traer, a freshman
residence hall on your right, and proceed down toward *Emerson Student
Center. Take note of the Bomb Shelter, Career Center and Center for Civic
Engagement on the first floor and the Dining Hall and Community Life
office on the second floor.
5. Wall back toward the academic quad and go into the *Library (if open). You
can ask someone as circulation to assist you in discussing what the library
has to offer. The 24 hour study room is open to all students.
6. Point out *Robinson Hall and *Goslin Hall which are both academic
buildings, See the notes on what each offer.
7. As requested, you can also check out *Conant Performing Arts (behind the
library) which also houses Georgia Shakespeare and the *Schmidt
Recreation Center for any aspiring athletes. The outdoor, baseball, tennis,
track and soccer fields are all near Schmidt.
8. Residence halls can driven to near the back part of campus but will not be
open to visitors unless accompanied on a scheduled Admission tour. Greek
Row and our soccer field are near the back of campus as well.
9. End tour back at visitor parking near Lupton Hall.
The Oglethorpe University Campus Tour - details
Updated Summer 2010
Here is a series of the main buildings and locations to be seen along the tour of Oglethorpe’s 100-acre campus,
with related facts and information for each. Please keep in mind that in the summer and on weekends, many of
these buildings may be locked.
Lupton Hall
 Administrative offices for the President, Provost, Advancement, Admission, Financial Aid, the Registrar,
the Business Office, and Alumni Relations.
 Also classrooms and faculty offices—point out third-floor dormer windows as faculty offices
 Lupton Auditorium seats 300 and acts as a multimedia theater for student events, performances, lectures,
and presentations
 Built in 1920
 The building was constructed in three stages, so the stairwells connect only certain parts of the building.
 The Bimby conference room was initially conceived as a crypt for the remains of General James Edward
Oglethorpe to lie in state at the university. Dr. Thornwell Jacobs was a big scholar of General Oglethorpe
and actually discovered his burial site in England. But a debate ensued with the city of Savannah (where he
first landed in the colonies), and with no resolution the remains stayed in Great Britain.
 Building named in honor of Chattanooga Coca-Cola bottler John T. Lupton, whose money kept Oglethorpe
alive during the Great Depression
 The bell tower (aka the Carillon, also the name of the alumni magazine) is a monument to Margaret Lupton.
The tower still has its original clock and 42 bells, which chime every quarter hour.
 During commencement week, graduating seniors get to participate in the Carillon Ceremony, during which
they enter a secret door and climb to the top of the bell tower to ceremonially ring the bells by hand.
Hearst Hall
 First and foremost a classroom building
 Also houses numerous faculty offices
 Oldest building -- constructed in 1915
 Originally a residential building for students and faculty – the Great Hall was the living room of campus
 Point out technology “smart” classrooms such as Hearst 112, the Georgia Power classroom
 The Great Hall is a popular gathering/study/resting place between classes. It is the site for events like
student art galleries, career fairs, and fundraisers.
 New in 2008 is a breakfast and coffee kiosk in the Great Hall serving fair trade coffee, danishes, juices, etc.
This is included in the meal plans of residential students.
 The OU Bookstore is located on the lower level – walk downstairs and point it out browse as desired
 The Crypt of Civilization is on the lower level of Hearst. Point it out when downstairs by the bookstore. The
Crypt was sealed by Thornwell Jacobs in 1936 and is mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records as
“the first successful attempt to bury a record for any future inhabitants”. The Crypt is to be opened in 8113
AD. Dr. Jacobs arrived at that date by counting the years between 1936 and the first instance of recorded
history—6,177 years—and then counting forward from 1936 by the same amount. The idea is that, by the
time of its opening, the Crypt would have been sealed at the midpoint of recorded history.
Academic Quad
 The campus is wireless, so students with laptops with wireless cards can work online in many locations
like the quad and the residence halls
 The historic oak trees and Adirondack chairs are a popular place for students to relax, study, and hang
out
 Oglethorpe Day festivities take place here every February—we have an annual footrace called Petrels of
Fire (a la the same race in the film Chariots of Fire about Olympic athletes). On Oglethorpe Day a
bagpiper summons the campus community to the quad, and any students, staff or faculty are invited to
run in the footrace. Runners must attempt to complete a circuit around the center of the quad during the
time between the first and last strokes of 12 o’clock noon from the Lupton bell tower. This is harder
than it sounds! Then, the community processes to Conant Performing Arts Center for the keynote
address (Pat Conroy, best-selling novelist in 2008, Deborah Lipstadt, acclaimed Holocaust scholar,
2007, etc.), which is followed by a Georgia-themed lunch banquet in Emerson.
 Stomp the Lawn, an annual spring music festival put on entirely by student planners from the
Oglethorpe Student Association
 Outdoor site of commencement exercises every May, weather permitting
 Other campus activities that take place on the quad: Greek Week, Star 94 Movies Under the Stars, etc. –
tell your favorite quad stories.
Goodman Hall
 24-hour computer lab and the offices of IT Services and the HelpDesk
 Home to the Evening Degree Program, which offers accelerated bachelors degree programs and non-credit
courses for adult students – the oldest adult program in the state of Georgia
 Used as an all-female residence hall until 1995
Traer Hall
 Three-level co-ed residence hall for first-year students—one of two options for freshmen (Dempsey is the
other
 All first- and second-year students are required to live on campus unless commuting from the home of a
parent or guardian in the Atlanta area
 Traer houses up to 168 students
 All rooms are suite-style (two bedrooms connected by a bathroom—no community showers for OU
freshmen!) with a desk, chair, dresser, closet, and high-speed internet line for each student.
 All rooms are heated, air-conditioned, and carpeted, and a housekeeping staff maintains the bathrooms each
week.
 Has three indoor lounge areas and a laundry room.
 Parking is available next to the building. All first-year students are permitted to bring a car to campus, but a
car is definitely not necessary to enjoy Oglethorpe and Atlanta.
 Popular as a social living space due to the openness of the balconies and courtyard, and is also the closest
residence hall to the academic quad/morning classes
Emerson Student Center
 An older building but high on OU’s list for capital improvements—enclosing the center to create an atrium,
expanding the dining hall, updating and renovating the student space
 Enter and point out the Bomb Shelter and Center for Civic Engagement
 The Bomb Shelter is a student lounge featuring foosball, pool, ping-pong, a stage area for open mic nights
and karaoke, and a huge video game collection















The Center for Civic Engagement is a co-curricular department with a full-time staff and student interns. It
coordinates leadership and service initiatives to connect students’ on-campus experience with the both the
needs and the highlights of the Atlanta urban area. The Center sponsors community service programs, the
OUr Atlanta program (free outings to explore and network at places such as Chik-Fil-A, the Federal
Reserve, the King Center, the High Museum of Art, Hands-On Atlanta, Stone Mountain, etc.), alternative
winter and spring break trips to the Gulf Coast, and service-learning courses in conjunction with faculty
The Counseling Center has a full-time staff of licensed professionals, whose services are free and
confidential for all current students.
The Office of Career Services offers a variety of services to students of all levels—from general guidance
for freshmen and personality inventories such as the Meyers-Briggs, to databases of internship opportunities
(many for academic credit!) and networks with alumni and professionals, to multiple on-campus career fairs
throughout the year, to assistance with resumes, cover letters, and graduate applications. Career Services
even teaches two classes for credit—Sophomore Choices and Senior Transitions
University Singers—four-part campus vocal ensemble of approximately 35-40 students. The University
Chorale is a smaller, more select ensemble. Enrolling students can audition for Singers during the summer
before their freshman year.
Student Health Center—run by a professional clinic staff. Offers clinic appointments and can give allergy
shots, flu shots, basic prescriptions, etc. Nurse Cathy Grote will make “house calls” in the dorm! A
physician and a women’s health practitioner visit campus every two weeks as well.
Campus mailboxes are provided for all residential students.
Emerson Café is the main dining hall on campus, run by our outstanding catering service, Bon Appètit.
Besides breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there is a 4th meal offered from 9pm-11pm Sunday-Thursday. All
residential students are included in a meal plan and have complete access to the cafeteria as often as desired.
Bon Appètit brings in fresh produce daily and uses a “fresh not frozen” policy whenever practical. Menu
variety changes daily and includes vegetarian options at every meal (nearly 25% of OU students may choose
vegetarian).
Walk into cafeteria if possible and observe the various food stations, salad bar, dining area, etc. Point out
the banners of student organizations that hang overhead.
A SunTrust ATM and piano practice space are both available on the second floor of Emerson.
Yellow time capsule—sealed every ten years on Oglethorpe Day—to whet one’s appetite for 8113!
Large event rooms in either corner—Talmage and Grenwald
Offices for student organizations such as the Oglethorpe Student Association, The Stormy Petrel (OU
newspaper), and the Yamacraw (OU Yearbook)
Office of Community Life—Dean of Students, Director of Residence Life, Director of Student Activities,
Greek Affairs (3 sororities, 4 fraternities)
Over 70 organizations are active on campus, from academic honoraries to intramurals to student government
to political to environmental . . . on and on.
This is where students have their Petrel Pass made—student ID card that serves as photo identification,
residence hall key, meal plan pass, library card, etc. Often good for off-campus discounts!
Upper Quad
 Residence halls for sophomores through seniors
 While juniors and seniors are currently permitted to live off campus, housing is guaranteed for all four years
 Includes North Hall and South Hall, known as “NoSo”, and Phase II which opened Fall 2007
 NoSo and Phase II feature suites with four single bedrooms, two bathrooms, and common rooms and
kitchen spaces.
 Amenities of newer halls include conference rooms, game room, multimedia theater, catering-grade kitchen
and card-key entrances for enhanced security.
 The John P. Salamone Memorial Soccer Field is just north of the Upper Quad, and is dedicated to the
memory of an alumnus soccer player who died at the World Trade Center on 9-11. Point it out beyond
NoSo, in front of the row of pine trees.
North and South Halls
 One to be renamed Magbee Hall sometime during fall 2008
 Good time to describe the Residence Life staff and RAs. Resident Assistants are upper-class students
employed by the Residence Life office to coordinate the day-to-day life in the residence halls. RAs
ensure that a staff member is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that students have a resource
whenever needed, whether for building issues, roommate concerns, or just for general support. RAs also
coordinate socials, mixers, and community-building activities for residents.
Dempsey Hall
 Opened Fall 1996
 Houses 74 students on four floors – generally freshmen and sophomores
 Suite-style set-up, with a single hallway door leading to a common room, off of which are two double
bedrooms and a bathroom—total of four students
 Non-smoking residence with extended quiet hours
 Has “substance free” floors for students who would like to be intentional about a lifestyle that does not
include alcohol, tobacco, etc.
 Entering students may indicate a preference between Traer and Dempsey on their housing applications, and
the Residence Life office will also do its best to honor roommate requests.
Phase II Hall
 Take guests inside to see the lobby and the kitchen which is available to students.
 All new construction over the past several years was fully financed by a successful capital campaign—
over $24 million to build the new residence halls
Ho Chi Minh Trail
 An informal pathway that runs through the woods from the upper quad and connects to the main campus.
The nickname, a holdover from OU students of the 1970s, stems from the bamboo thicket by which the trail
runs. Bamboo is harvested and taken to the Atlanta Zoo to feed the pandas.
Conant Performing Arts Center
 Opened Summer 1997
 Home to Oglethorpe’s Theatre Program, The Playmakers/Oglethorpe University Theatre, and University
Singers performances
 Home to Georgia Shakespeare (the professional theatre company in residence at OU)
 35,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility with seating capacity of 511
 Includes classroom space, offices, conference area, and elegant lobby
 Auditorium walls have side panels that can be raised to the open air
 The architecture blends the Gothic elements of OU’s academic buildings with the “Renaissance Fair”
atmosphere that serves at the trademark for Georgia Shakespeare.
 Georgia Shakespeare originally performed under tents throughout the parks of Atlanta, so the Conant Center
was designed to resemble these origins.
 Events such as Freshman Convocation, the Oglethorpe Day Keynote Address, and the Boar’s Head holiday
festival are also held in Conant.
Philip Weltner Library
 Take tour in through the circulation and research area, and then continue into the atrium. End by visiting
the 24-hour room and showing guests where the elevator is in case they want to come back and visit the
museum later.
 Open seven days a week during the regular academic year.
 Basement – bound periodicals, microfilm and study rooms.
 1st floor – current periodicals, reference materials, computerized card catalog, academic abstracts, student
computers, 24-hour study room














2nd floor – stacks, 50-seat Earl Dolive Theatre where classes can view movies or hold lectures, study rooms
3rd floor – 7,000 square-foot art gallery, the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art. OUMA features
international exhibits, lectures, and concerts. We are one of very few schools our size to house our own art
gallery. Past exhibits include Rembrandt etchings, Rodin sculptures (including an original cast of “The
Thinker”!), Gaugin prints, Spanish realism, juried art exhibits, and fine selections from the permanent
collection.
Over 180,000 book holdings, 734 periodical subscriptions, 700 journal subscriptions, and more than 3,000
laser discs.
Member of a library consortium of 19 college libraries in the Atlanta area through ARCHE; also participates
in an inter-library loan system
Originally constructed in 1927 to be a business school
Has also been used for science labs and the beginnings of a medical college, as well as residence hall space
Basement once used by medical school for the dissection of cadavers
Elephant buried underneath new addition – from the 1940s when the circus came to town and the elephants
became mysteriously ill; undergraduate science students requested the cadavers to study and then buried
them out back; rediscovered during renovations in 1990s.
Became a library in 1972
In 1992, a $6 million renovation tripled the size of the building, incorporating the old facade into the atrium.
24-hour room is always available to students as a place to study
The Learning Resources Center assists students with learning disabilities in developing personal academic
plans.
The Writing Center offers peer tutors, open office hours, professor referrals, workshops, and other resources
to help students hone their academic writing skills.
The office of the Study Abroad advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Collins, is located on the second floor of the library.
Please mention both short-term summer trips and the traditional semester exchange option.
Robinson Hall
 Recently renovated, completed in December 2001
 Houses classrooms and faculty offices, including fine arts and communications
 Contains a natural light/grid lighting art studio, a printmaking/sculpting studio, and a darkroom with rotating
door
 Originally named Faith Hall by Thornwell Jacobs because it was only through faith that enough money
would come through to complete construction
Goslin Hall
 Science/mathematics building with laboratories, classrooms, and faculty offices
 All lab equipment is up-to-date and available for use by students: New computers (10) and MicroLab units
in the chemistry labs, electron microscope, an atomic absorption spectrometer, Fourier Transform Infrared
Spectrometer (FT-IR), Fourier Transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (FT-NMR), Fourier
Transform Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrometer (FT-UV-VIS), and more.
 Contains laboratory space for biology, chemistry, physics and ecology
 Named in honor of Dr. Roy N. Goslin, the late Professor Emeritus of Physics, for his work both for the
university and with the Manhattan Project.
 A computer lab is located on the first floor and is available to students.
 Goslin trivia: designed after an “elementary school” building model from the Sputnik era. That’s why all the
light switch panels are located higher up than little hands can reach!
Dorough Field House and Schmidt Recreation Center
 Gymnasium used for basketball and volleyball games
 Recreation center includes intramural sports facilities, racquetball courts, workout facilities, dance room,
and training room





Brand-new wood floor installed in the Field House
Athletic Hall of Fame also added in the renovation
Infinite Sports Group in residence. Infinite (pronounced infinity) provides off-season training to professional
athletes, including Terrell Owens as well as the Washington Redskins. Infinite’s residency has brought over
$250,000 in new equipment and a professional training staff to OU
Six new tennis courts were completed in September 2006 with seating in Spring 2007
The new Town Brookhaven will include an LA Fitness gym, to which Oglethorpe is negotiating free or
discounted membership for students.
Hermance Stadium
 Baseball stadium that contains Anderson Field
 Originally intended to be a 50,000-seat, fully circular football stadium (funding family was incapacitated by
stock market crash in 1929)
 Woolworth executive Harry Hermance pledged to fund the project, but lost his money in the stock market
crash of 1929
 For a decade, OU had a football team that rivaled Georgia Tech and UGA, but the team fizzled out during
WWII as players traded football for military service
Town Brookhaven
 Coming in spring 2011 is Town Brookhaven, a state-of-the-art mixed-use development on Peachtree
Road to the immediate southwest of Oglethorpe University. The Sembler Company is creating an
innovative, landscaped, pedestrian-friendly urban village to bring a variety of retail, restaurants,
boutiques, offices and residential options to the Brookhaven and Oglethorpe neighborhoods. Town
Brookhaven will incorporate large retail establishments with new locations of many “local favorite”
restaurants and shops.
 Town Brookhaven is located directly adjacent to Oglethorpe University, creating a virtual “college
town” in easy walking distance of campus.
 Among the stores and restaurants currently slated for Town Brookhaven:
• Best Buy
• LA Fitness
• Costco
• Publix
• Barnes and Noble Booksellers
• Cobb Theatres Cinébistro (a gourmet dining
and movie theatre combination)
• Ray’s on the River
• New York Pizza Exchange
• Atkins Park Restaurant and Tavern
• Genki Noodles and Sushi
• The Flying Biscuit Café
• Nuevo Laredo Cantina
• Rolling Bones BBQ
• Rama 5 of Thailand
• F2O: Fresh to Order
• Mirko Pasta
Quick Facts and Figures, 2010
Five Most Populous Majors
(For undergraduate students)
Business Admin
Biology
English
Psychology
Communication & Rhetoric
Fall 2009 Total Enrollment:
Fall 2009 Freshman Class:
Average Class Size:
Student/Faculty Ratio:
≈1084 students
259 students
16 students
13 to 1
Diversity (non-Caucasian):
International
43%
6%
Geography
Countries
States
Georgia
Southeast (not GA)
U.S. outside Southeast
International
36
34
66%
18%
9%
7%
Athletics
Division III
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Austin College
Millsaps College
Birmingham-Southern
Oglethorpe University
Centre College
Rhodes College
Colorado College
Southwestern University
DePauw University
Trinity University
Hendrix College
Sewanee
Fall 2009 average SAT:
Fall 2009 average ACT:
Faculty
Full-time
With terminal degree
Financial Info, 2010
Tuition (per academic year)
Room & Board
Activity Fee
Students who receive Fin. Aid
1160
25
77
47
94%
$27,700
$9990
$250
92%
Men’s Varsity Sports: Baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, track and field, cross country, lacrosse,
Women’s Varsity Sports: Volleyball, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, track and field, cross country, lacrosse
(2012)
“What does ‘liberal arts’ mean, anyway?”
The term liberal arts connotes studies that are intended to provide a wide base of historical/cultural knowledge
and intellectual skills, rather than merely occupational skills. It also refers to specific academic disciplines, such
as languages, literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, and science, which provide information of general
cultural concern. Oglethorpe’s motto is “Make a life. Make a living. Make a difference.” This motto embodies
the goals and usefulness of an OU liberal arts education. Through our liberal arts curriculum, students learn how
to learn in a life-long and personal way, how to transfer their critical-reasoning skills from their studies to a
professional or career setting, and how to apply the knowledge and awareness they have gained to their
responsibility as citizens and civic leaders.