OSU president E. Gordon Gee is renowned for his bowtie, rictus grin and antiquated spectacles, and he is fast becoming equally as known for his obscure but insensitive verbal gaffes.

Recently, he offended another swath of society by comparing the difficulty of balancing the competing interests of the university’s departments to the (apparently bumbling) Polish Army:

"When we had these 18 colleges all kind of floating around, they were kind of like PT Boats, they were shooting each other," Gee explained. "It was kind of like the Polish army or something. I have no idea what it was.”

Gee, realizing his mistake amidst nervous chuckles in the audience, said "Oh, never mind, who did I embarrass now? … I'll have to raise money for Poland now."

The Polish American Congress swiftly issued a press release decrying the “slanderous analogy used by Ohio State University President Gordon Gee and his slur on the military of a nation that has been fighting valiantly and effectively alongside the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Further outrage addressed the suggestion that money needs to be raised for Poland:

“Poland not only has a capable military but also is strong economically and does not need money being raised for it,” the statement read.

Current student reaction was one of general unawareness; asking students for their opinions was usually met with the confused interrogative, “Wait … what?” Some offered the foggy recollection that it was “read on ESPN.”

Geoff, a sophomore studying psychology, said he only knew of the scandal from briefly skimming a local paper.

“I think it is just … bizarre,” he said. “It doesn’t immediately strike me as bad, but I guess it could have been more offensive if he had used a more well-known country.”

He doesn’t think it will have any “overtly negative repercussions,” but also mentioned that while Gee isn’t a big presence in his life one way or the other, he is aware of and impressed by Gee’s constant interactions with students; the way in which he endears himself to the public may temper any uproar over his comments.

Some students don’t know what options Gee has.

“Of course he should apologize, but I know that apologies today aren’t accepted greatly,” said senior Lauren Toprani, a major in special education. “But, I mean, I don’t know what kind of circumstances [would make the apology legitimate] or what kind of apology he’s going to have to give back to the Polish people.”

One student commented on the dangers of speaking without thinking. PhD candidate in history Ada Malfenti recalled the uproar that followed Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers’ statement that women perform worse than men in math and sciences due to innate biological differences. His controversial comments led to faculty taking jobs at other universities.

Irrespective of his reckless quips, Gee is considered by many to be one of the most popular and successful college presidents in the country.

Rob, a second year student braving the cold to smoke a cigarette, said the comments shouldn’t overshadow his track record at many major universities.

“To be honest, people made a big deal out of it – people are too sensitive,” said Drew, a senior. He said that “probably 85 percent of the student body” didn’t even know about it, and suggested that anybody who is angry with Gee for his ‘Polish Army’ quip would be angry at him for something else anyway.

Gee has since offered a vague apology, saying, “As you might know, I made those ill-chosen remarks during a question-and-answer session after delivering a speech. I realized at the time that I had made a mistake.” He explained that he had “no idea about the Polish army. It was just a statement about the fact that there was some issue [he] was commenting on.”

Whether further punishment awaits Gee is yet to be seen. Toprani sagely offered the advice that whatever ultimately happens, Gee, “should probably start thinking a little bit before he says whatever is on his mind.”