Students choosing to stick around to get ahead in course work — or to catch up — can attest to the slower pace of life and relative quiet of Athens in the summertime. But life here certainly doesn’t stop and news never reaches a standstill.

Despite financial uncertainty in the state and the absence of constituent input, the board of trustees authorized a 29 percent pay raise and four-year contract extension for President Roderick McDavis.

Ohio University abandoned plans for a new student health center after finding that construction would cost up to $12 million more than expected and is now looking to make the most of what we have. Let’s hope a possible renovation and expansion of the notoriously inadequate Hudson Health Center will bring OU up to standards in student health care.

The largest gift ever given to any public university in Ohio got bigger. The record-breaking donation to the Russ College of Engineering and Technology grew to $91.8 million from earlier estimates of $80 million after including an additional $12.7 million in properties.

Ohio athletics had its fair share of action this summer with Ohio State assistant basketball coach John Groce replacing Tim O’Shea, who left for Division I newcomer Bryant.

Ohio football began fall camp with coach Frank Solich agreeing to a lucrative contract extension. Solich was not the only one to strike it rich though, with offensive lineman Mike Eynon winning $250,000 in the second tier of the Ohio Lottery Mega Million.

Athens County had its own “explosive” summer. A pipe bombing in Nelsonville caused thousands of dollars in damages and resulted in at least two young men serving time. In a separate incident, pipe bombs later found to be fake were strapped to post offices in what police believe could be a diversion in the robbery of the Hocking Valley Bank in nearby Coolville.

On a lighter — but no less surprising — note, Athens police discovered a 2-foot alligator on Mill Street. Luckily a local wildlife expert offered to help the alligator find its way back to warmer climates, but the discarded reptile serves as a reminder that students should exercise greater discretion when choosing a house pet: Baby alligators grow up.

From the unusual to the momentous, this summer weekly has worked to continue the same level of coverage to Athens and OU that people expect during the school year. As with any newspaper — especially one run by students — mistakes have been made and editorial decisions questioned, but through it all we’ve held fast to an ethic of sharp, accountability journalism.  

We’ve done our best to acknowledge any mistakes and correct any errors. We’ve done our best to produce a balanced and accurate paper every single week. This fall The Post will return as a daily newspaper with these same principals in mind, only with a larger staff and many new names. We hope you’ll continue to read.

Although the student body shrinks in the summer and Athens takes on an almost unnerving stillness, news doesn’t take a break. We’ve loved reporting it and we hope we’ve been an indispensable part of your summer.