Friday, February 13, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 5
Curse is no worse on 13th than first
Superstitious fears uncorroborated
By Laura Roddy
By Laura Roddy
Iroddy@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Today, Friday the 13th, represents the pinnacle of bad luck for superstitious folk, but the University of Kansas has not seen much evidence of it.
Randall Rock, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said Watkins had not recorded a significant increase in the number of visits on Friday the 13th.
"We don't do any brain surgery
down here on Friday the 13th, but then we never do. "Rock said."
Sgt. Chris Keary of the KU police said there was little evidence of increased accidents or pranks on Friday the 13th.
"It makes no difference that we see." he said.
Whenever a report is made, it is unlucky regardless of the day of the week. Keary said.
The superstitions involving Friday the 13th were on the mind of Stephanie Schumm, Lawrence sophomore.
"I have two big tests so I'm kind of scared about that," she said. "I believe in it even though nothing bad has ever happened to me."
more, is more skeptical. She said Friday the 13th was a bigger deal to her when she was younger.
April Davies, Lawrence sopho
Oliver Phillips, professor emeritus of classics, said people have long associated good or evil with particular days.
"There's a very ancient idea that numbers or dates have intrinsic values," he said.
Phillips said one reason Friday was associated with bad luck was because it was the day of the crucifixion.
Allan Hanson, professor of anthropology, said what interested him about Friday the 13th was the conjunction between days and dates.
quite frequently in the world, especially in ancient Mexico," he said. "For them, virtually every day had a particular personality."
"This sort of thing happens
The Friday the 13th movies may be another factor contributing to peoples' belief in the day's bad luck.
The movies are no longer frequently rented on the day for which they are named, said Roly Monte, an employee at Miracle Video, 1910 Haskell Ave.
"That has kind of dissipated," he said.
But beware, the anxieties of superstitious folks will recur again in just one month.
Geography class sends students to graves
By Emily C. Forsyth
eforsyth@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
University of Kansas geography instructor George Ulbrick took his students on a different kind of field trip yesterday. He took his class to the cemetery.
Ulbrick conducted his Intermediate Human Geography class at Oak Hill Cemetery, 1605 Oak Hill St.
He said he wanted his students to have a hands-on opportunity to observe patterns in cemeteries that reveal cultural information.
"I guess the thing that draws us to studying cemeteries is that every place has one," Ulbrick said. "They're a readily identifiable aspect of the cultural landscape."
Students divided into groups and collected demographic information about people buried in the cemetery. They also studied the physical appearance of different parts of the cemetery.
Ulbrick said he hoped his students would be
able to take the information they had gathered and apply it to their understanding of global human characteristics.
"If you can kind of put aside the morbid curiosity aspect, most people really find it very interesting." Ulbrick said.
Nick Kent, Milwaukee sophomore, said his group examined grave sites dating back to about 1870 and 1900.
"There were actually some Civil War grave sites that were marked with inscriptions about people who fought to make Kansas a free state," Kent said. "It was very interesting."
The cemetery, which was established in 1665 exhibits many trends that occurred in society over time. Ulbrick said.
For example, in earlier times, people were buried according to religion or ethnic origin. This was true of Oak Hill, which had a separate Catholic section next to the main cemetery.
Oak Hill also used to have a holding vault which housed bodies that could not be buried
during the winter months. Graves could not be due when the ground was frozen. Ulbrick said.
"If a person passed away in January, they might not be planted until March or April," he said.
Another characteristic that has changed over time is the use of cemeteries as parks, Ulbrick said.
He said in the nineteenth century, it was common for people to have a picnic or spend time in cemeteries because they were often the most green and lush places in an urban area.
"It was more than just a place for the dead," Ulbrick said. "Most of us today wouldn't think about going to the cemetery for a nice stroll."
Ulbrick said a number of notable people were buried at Oak Hill and the adjacent Memorial Park.
"Everybody knows that Naismith is buried in Memorial Park and Phog Allen is buried out there," Ulbrick said. "Sen. Edmund Ross, who was the deciding vote against the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, is buried there."
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