UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, August 18, 1993
9D
Jayhawk traditions
Every campus has its own landmarks and myths. Here are a few found at The University of Kansas.
Donated by alumni and current members of the Chi Omega Sorority's KU chapter in 1955, the Chi Omega Fountain is also a place where students have been known to take a dip. Fraternities and sororites have been known to throw their brothers and sisters in the fountain on their birthdays.
The fountain cost $5000 and was dedicated to the deceased members of the Chi Omega Sorority.
Built in 1910 as a reserve water supply in case of a large fire, Potter Lake, named for former Senator T.M. Potter, was instead used as a reserve bathing supply by many students in the early 1920s. During that time, three students drowned in the lake. Since then, bathing has been discouraged.
Campanile
Distant iron melodies heard echoing throughout campus come from 53 bells housed in the 120 foot high Campanile, which was started and completed in 1950 as a memorial to the KU students who died in World War II. The bells, added in 1951, range in weight from 10 pounds to 13,400 pounds. Graduating students walk through the tower during the graduation ceremony to begin their walk down the hill. It is considered bad luck to walk through the tower before graduation.
Nescoe Hall
A metal bust of former Chancellor E.H. Lindley, who served from 1920 to 1939, was a gift of the class of 1929. It was sculpted by Bernard "Poco" Frazer in 1954. The bust, located on the first floor of Lindley Hall, is dark bronze in color except for Lindley's nose. It is shiny and smooth as a result of student's hands rubbing it for good luck before big exams, a tradition that is decades old. In 1969, renovations on the nose were considered, but nothing was ever done to fix it.
Many students now know it as a construction area surrounded by a fence, but seniors may remember sitting through their freshman lecture courses in Hoch Auditonum. Completed in 1927, Hoch was to be used as a basketball court and basketball arena but the cost $350,000 and was named for former Governor E.W. Hoch.
A plan to restructure the auditorium's roof, which called for the installation of lightning rods, was a month too late. Lightning struck the roof on June 15, 1991, causing a fire that gutted the inside of the building and destroyed the roof. But Hoch will rise from the ashes in the fall of 1995, when the $18 million construction project currently underway will be completed.
The front area outside Wesco Hall was constructed along with the building beginning in 1971 and was completed in 1974. Wesco Hall was named for former Chancellor W. Clark Wesco, who served from 1960 to 1968. Front of the building is called the "beach" because of the large number of students it attracts to eat, lie in the sun and talk between classes. On a warm day, the beach is flooded with students.
The bronze Jayhawk statue that rests in front of Strong Hall was donated by the KU graduation class of 1956. It was sculpted by Elden Titen and erected in the Kansas Memorial Student Union in 1959 before it was moved to its current location in the early 20th century, that the bird will fly away from its perch if a virgin graduates from KU. We are not saying the legend is true, but we also have noticed that the bird is still there.
Photos by John Gamble Research by Dan England
John Paul Fogen. KANSAN
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