House signs have become a unique tradition at Miami University and the upcoming book House Signs and Collegiate Fun: Sex, Faith and Race in a College Town explores the meanings and perceptions of them.
Author Chaise LaDousa began his research as a visiting anthropology professor at Miami when he taught a course called "Seminar in Linguistic Anthropology" in 2001.
According to LaDousa, the research for the book covered the different meanings various people see in the house signs and how it sometimes reflects how meaningful the names are in their own lives.
"The research was interesting because undergraduates were studying other undergraduates," LaDousa said. "There was a certain excitement with the project."
According to LaDousa, his students interviewed about 50 students who lived in houses with signs.
Many students see the house signs as a fun, unique aspect of Miami.
Kelsey Green, a resident of the house named "Absolut Angels," said she thinks naming houses has become a great Miami tradition.
"I think a lot of the signs have sexual or alcoholic references," Green said. "But it's a fun way to make Miami different."
House signs at Miami have endured through years, passing from past residents to current ones.
"My parents went to Miami and they like to come back and see what house names have changed and which ones have stayed the same," Green said.
Senior Lauryn Buschhaus said her house name "Sycamore Inn" has had its name for a long time, as has many of the houses at Miami, and thought it played on the location of the house by Best Western's Sycamore Inn.
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Junior Brett Wagner of the house named "Hollyhood" thinks the house signs are just for fun.
"I see our name as just being a clever play on Hollywood," Wagner said. "Others probably think it references it being a cheaper house."
"I think people look at a lot of the house signs around Oxford and see they are sexual, alcohol or TV references," Buschhaus said. "I think the signs just make you laugh especially if they're really clever."
LaDousa said the conclusion from the research led to the creation of three categories where messages meant to be conveyed by the house signs were perceived by others as something else: the Christian messages, the "ghetto" and allusions to females.
Buschhaus said, "I don't know if there is a deeper meaning or cultural significance to the house names, I think it's just for fun."
House Signs and Collegiate Fun: Sex, Faith and Race in a College Town will be released July 4.
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