Less than a week before The Game (or, as you would say, The GaXe), I made a bet with my good friend and your Student Body President Gerard Basalla, in which the president of the school that lost would have to write a friendly article in the opposing school’s student newspaper. I am a man of my word, and here is my article. 

While Michigan and Ohio State might be the fiercest of rivals on the field, there is an undeniable mutual respect that exists between the Big Ten schools off the field. OSU is among the finest institutions of higher learning in the country, having produced scores of Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winners, statesmen and women, and major company CEOs. 

We must also acknowledge that some things transcend sports rivalries. On Monday, Nov. 28, the world watched with horror as an OSU student carried out a knife attack on campus, injuring 11 people in the process. On that Monday, all of us were Ohio State fans, praying for the safety and security of your university. That day, Buckeyes, you impressed everyone by the way in which you handled this atrocity — by your grace, courage and strength under the most unimaginable circumstance. Thank you for setting an example for the rest of us. And thank you for allowing me to write this piece; it was my honor. Until next November! 

David Schafer 
University of Michigan Student Body President