If you’ve been on campus lately you may have seen on social media outlets #oldgsuvsnewgsu but don’t know what it means. Never fear, Her Campus Georgia Southern is here to help you.
Nightlife
First, let’s define “Old GSU” was a period of time lasting roughly up until spring 2011. Consisting of a multitude of local hangouts Legends, Turtle’s (AKA Buffalo’s now Gata’s), Apex, The Plaza, Colorado’s (AKA The Grill, now Midtown), Oasis, The Zone, Robin’s Nest, U Lounge (Bunz) CC’s, Platinum, and Dos Primos.
The Plaza Post Old GSU
The Campus
Old GSU was also a lot more cohesive and smaller. The dining halls were Landrum and Lakeside. The Union was also a place where you would get a ton of handbills for upcoming events from various promo teams (Good ENT, YBM, Lawless, etc).
Imagine a ton of these everywhere, even on your car.
You could take your food outside of the dining halls and get all you can eat wings on Wednesdays at Landrum(had a store in it called Pickle Barrel) or you could go out on a date to Talon’s and use your meal plans. Meal plans could also be used anywhere on campus.
On Campus Housing
The dorms were Johnson, Oliff, Windburn (now Centennial ** also when these dorms existed the 3 major eating places on campus were Lakeside, Landrum, and Chick-Fil-A, the computer store also was an Einstein Bagels and Cold Stone), Brannen Hall, Watson, Sanford Hall (was known as the worst dorm), Eagle Village, Kennedy, Southern Pines and Southern Courtyard. University Villas and Freedom’s Landing were also apartment complexes before the university took them over.
Off Campus Housing
The Player’s Club (AKA the Avenue and now Southern Downs), Campus Crossings, Cambridge, University Pines (now a part of Cambridge), Campus Club, Eagle’s Landing (the Cove) Stadium Walk, the Garden District, the Woodlands (now the Legacy) and the Exchange (now the Connection) and Bermuda Run (now University Village) were the major apartment complexes.
There was also always something to do. Whether you were partying in Burkhalter with the Greeks, drinking a Blue MF at a bar, or stumbling down Greek Row there was always something. There was always a party and everyone always had a great time because it was seriously such a small town.
This a “Blue Motherf$%&*@#” and you were cool if you had a pitcher of it… like really cool.
Now, let’s define “New GSU.” New GSU is desolate and riddled with drama. Many would describe the members of New GSU as having “no chill.”The Forum, Monarch 301, the Hamptons, Aspen Heights, and 111 South are the new kids on the block with apartments in the college district. There are a ton of new apartment complexes but no nightlife.
Construction of the Forum (oh yeah everything else used to just be trees or farmland with trees).
The plaza is gone and the only places that are left are Midtown, GATA’s and whatever that club is next to it that used to be Club 125, South City, and Dingus. You can’t take any food out of the dining halls (RIP to those awesome Philly Cheesesteaks in Landrum), and you can no longer drive all around campus.
The lack of things to do may be a major factor in the decline of moral around GSU and the cause of the increase in drama because “an idol mind is the devil’s castle.”
This year survivors of “Old GSU” are attempting to give GSU a much-needed comeback. But is it possible? Can the random “Georgia Southern” chants be heard throughout Lanier Drive at 3 a.m. on a weekday again? Honestly, I think that time is over but only time will tell. In the meantime I and many other “Old GSU” will continue to remember the good old days.