From a new president to new buildings, OU is changing. With the appointment of Jeff Konya as the new athletics director, even the sports teams are changing.

At the same time, the Athletics Department is implementing “Oakland” as the main word, no longer using OU.

Tennis player Elizabeth Guy thinks this a good strategy.

“I believe it makes Oakland more unique since other schools are also using ‘OU’ as a symbol,” Guy said.

Oklahoma, Ohio and the University of Oregon all use the acronym ‘OU.’

Many students around campus are already wearing shirts that read “wear the bear, be the bear.” The stickers on the athletics department were changed for the bear head and the basketball court is getting a makeover. 

The bear head is more featured on campus this year than any other. The new soccer fields have the bear head right in the middle and the tennis courts will have it in the windscreen. The OC got a new bear in one of chairs in front of Café O’bears.

Expectations are set for this idea of the Oakland bear to give great results.

“We just started using the grizzly bear as our main symbol, but I hope it will make us more noticeable in the long run,” Elizabeth said.