Guest Blogger Kaylah Mathis: Diversity of Style at ONU

Kaylah Mathis, a rising senior at Ohio Northern University in Ada, OH, is one of AKIRA’s Campus Representatives. Here, she gives us the inside scoop on fashion on her campus.

The only thing that surrounds us Klondikes at Ohio Northern University is cornfields, cows and a whole lot of room for creativity. ONU style alternates between fashion-forward and comfort-oriented, depending on the occasion. Students step out in their finest when they go out on the town, but when they’re headed to class, they pull on sweatpants, hoodies and athleticwear. For the majority of the student body, Sunday casual extends into the schoolweek; only sorority girls dress up on Mondays. ONU wardrobes also vary according to academic major. For example, the musical theater students are more colorful and daring with their clothing selections, while the business students are more conservative.

Ohio Northern’s mascot is Klondike the polar bear, and the weather in Ada is not unlike that in said animal’s arctic habitat. Almost 90% of the female student body keep warm during the winter with a pair of UGG boots, a North Face and a matching hat, glove and scarf set.

As soon as it starts to get warm outside, ONU’s campus comes to life. Dresses, polos and shorts are all must-haves during the spring. People begin to rep their Greek letters and spend a lot more time outside on their Vera Bradley blankets. Whether students are out sunbathing, waiting for their next class to start with their friends or taking a midday jog, they have many opportunities to express their personalities through their clothes.

Although ONU is located in middle-of-nowhere Ohio, its student body is composed of people of many different cultures. Frequent fashion and talent shows featuring traditional saris, crepe-cooking demonstrations and African hymn performances give these students a chance to share their cultures with everyone else at school.

Once 5 PM on Friday rolls around, it’s the beginning of the weekend (AKA time to party hardy). As far as fashion, anything goes! The girls on campus love to look feminine with a touch of edge, while the guys just like to be comfortable.

Let’s not forget formals. When you’re in high school, you think your last chance to get dressed up is prom. Wrong! At school we have formals for almost all the major sororities and fraternities. These events take you back to that special day when you wanted to be best-dressed and have everyone compliment you on that fierce dress or banging shoes. And it doesn’t hurt to have a little eye candy on your arm while you’re strutting your stuff, either!

So whether you’re on your way to the semester’s hottest party dressed to impress, lounging around waiting for your next class to start, or biking around campus, you’ll never skip a beat on the dance that I like to call the ONU Fashion Shuffle!