One of the stranger recent developments is that Oregon State University seems to have changed its name to plain old Oregon State in order to distinguish its abbreviation from Ohio State University's (er, sorry *The* Ohio State University's). (To hell with Oklahoma State University.) However, I keep telling my Oregon-State-loving relatives that OS will always mean "operating system" to me.
Well, good thing they didn't go for THE Oregon State, or I'd be forever thinking "Terms of Service?!?"
In fairness to Ohio State, they really arethe (one and only) State university for Ohio. Unlike Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and California, for example, they don't have a two-tier system of elite research universities versus more-praxis-oriented blue-collar-plus "State" schools. I think the definite article is there to try to point out that there is no University of Ohio, OSU is it.
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Date: 2008-05-08 04:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-08 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-08 11:04 pm (UTC)In fairness to Ohio State, they really are the (one and only) State university for Ohio. Unlike Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and California, for example, they don't have a two-tier system of elite research universities versus more-praxis-oriented blue-collar-plus "State" schools. I think the definite article is there to try to point out that there is no University of Ohio, OSU is it.