Sidewalk University

SI-U, Ohio State’s “Sidewalk University,” was an informal fraternity formed by guys who didn’t have the money to join a regular fraternity. It met at Smitty’s Corner, a drug store at 16th Ave. and High St., as well as in the basement of Hill Tailoring Co.

Smitty’s was operated by Nate Fraher and Jim “Smitty” Smith. As early as 1932, during the great depression, it became a hangout for O.S.U. athletes. No one had much money and a lot of Smitty’s business was “on the cuff.”

At some point, Fraher, Smith, and some of the regulars such as Bob Hill, Jack Conrad, and future governor Jim Rhodes began calling themselves SI-U.  There were no charter, no dues, no song, no handshake – they were just a bunch of friends, enjoying each other’s company.

Supposedly, they used a beer bottle cap as a pledge pin.  And it is claimed there was no fraternity pin, but at some point somebody apparently created one (see photo).  I suspect it was for their later alumni get-togethers where they would honor such people as Jerry Lucas, Jesse Owens, Milton Caniff, and Woody Hayes.

Whether they still exist, I have no idea.

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