AROUND CAMPUS
MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2008
21
Campus whistle sparks mixed feelings
BY MIKE NOLAN mnolan@kansan.com
The loud blast that rings throughout campus every 50 minutes might startle those new to the University, but campus rookies should not be alarmed. It is no
this should not reason to take cover; it is just the University's not-so-subtle way of signaling the end of the class period.
The whistle has blown on campus for nearly 100 years. According to KU Info, the
The whistle, which sits on top of the power plant next to Watson Library, is the third version of the original whistle.
each class period.
The first whistle lasted until World War II in the early 1940s. The second whistle survived for
"I could hear that thing blow when in my apartment at Tuckaway, and when I was playing softball in East Lawrence."
WILL ALLEN
2008 Alumnus
University originally used the steam whistle to signal curfew for students, but in 1912 it began using the whistle to announce the end of
almost 60 years until it suffered an unfixable crack in January 2003.
The campus went silent from Jan. 22, 2003 until April 25, 2003.
The new whistle, which is the whistle that currently
sits on top of the power plant, was made possible by a donation to the Kansas University Endowment
Associati of the manufacture and installation of a new whistle.
Association that covered the cost and when I was playing softball in
The whistle is so loud that people can hear it from one end Lawrence to the other.
"I could hear that thing blow when in my apartt
Weston White/KANSAN
The University has used a steam whistle to signal the end of class periods since 1912.
ERIK HARMS Springfield, Mo., senior
"I cannot stand the sound of that thing, but I think I would feel weird if I didn't hear it at the end of class."
aying softball in East Lawrence," said Will Allen, 2008 graduate.
The steam whistle has been a question of concern for some students, but they admit it serves as a nice reminder throughout the
"I cannot stand the sound of that thing, but I think I would feel weird if I didn't hear it at the end of class," Erik Harms, Springfield, Mo., senior, said. "It's a nice cue to leave class."
when in my apartment at Tuckaway, day
No matter what students think, the steam whistle will continue to blow throughout the school year and for most students it will be a reminder of good news: class is over.
Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
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