A Chinese symbol adorns the front of the newest design in the baseball caps signifying that Ohio State has officially caught on to the new wave in fashion and diversity.The trend of using the calligraphy of the Chinese language has been seen in brand-name clothing, tattoos and now at OSU basketball games.”It means Ãcorní,” said Elaine Louie, a junior Chinese major. The symbol is closest in translation to “buckeye.”However, students seem to be more interested in the look portrayed by the ball cap rather than its meaning.”They are one of our most popular styles,” said Jeff Owen, sales associate at the Buckeye Corner. The hats, designed for the Kanji collection by Zephyr Hats, are made with a Chinese translation for the mascots of 40 college teams. The translation for the Chinese symbol is on the label inside of each cap. “It is different,” Owen said. “It starts a lot of conversations between people, but I think it is just a fashion thing.”According to a member of the Asian-American Association on campus, Chinese calligraphy is considered an art form. Sophomore biochemistry major Kimara Stefanski likes the idea so well that she has a tattoo on her back featuring Chinese lettering. She feels that it adds an element of mystery.”It is a beautiful symbol and a private thing,” Stefanski said. “Not many people know what my tattoo symbolizes but me.”Beyond the beauty and fashion aspects of the hats, some Asian-Americans are excited about the underlying social connotations attached.”It is making the people more aware that there is a strong Asian culture at Ohio State and that the students are proud of it,” said Rener Apolinar, a sophomore engineering major.To some the popularity of Chinese symbols represents the long awaited globalization of the university.”It is about time that different cultures are being recognized,” said undecided freshman Nicole Wimbish. Wimbish is a sales associate at the University Bookstore. “People like it though so I don’t necessarily think it was an idea meant for promotion of diversity more than it is just good business.”Perhaps the changing of the tradition of the “Block O” hats, which have been the dominant hat seen on campus for some time now, means students have recognized a significance in the OSU Kanji collection. Whether the hat promotes cultural diversity or is just very stylish, it has people talking.