A2
WHAT TO KNOW
KANSAN.COM
The student section throws up confetti during a home men's basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
Campus customs come with long tradition
▶ CHANDLER BOESE
@Chandler_Boese
Coming to the University of Kansas is a brand-new, exciting experience for so many freshmen, but the things they do at the University may not be so new.
The University has many exciting traditions that have developed over its 150-year history.
Rock Chalk, Jayhawk K11
Perhaps one of the most well-known and well-flaunted traditions, the long, drawn-out yell is now linked with basketball and Allen Fieldhouse, though it can be heard elsewhere. But a book by Robert Taft, "The Years on Mount Oread," traces its origins to science students and oratorical contests.
At a meeting in 1886, the students in the University Science Club expressed their desire for a club yell and their faculty advisor, Professor Bailey, suggested "Rah Rah, Jayhawk, KSU," (The University was once known as Kansas State University) said three times in quick succession, according to the book.
The Jayhawk was not even the official mascot of the University at the time, but a nod back to the nickname given to Kansas abolitionists during the border skirmishes of 1850's, also known as "Bleeding Kansas."
As the Science Club adopted the yell as their official call, "Rock Chalk" was eventually substituted in as a nod to the limestone rock that makes up Mount Oread. As
Taft writes in his book, "The yell has thus uniquely preserved Kansas tradition and Kansas geology, with both of which we are well supplied."
In covering an 1886 oratorical contest in Topeka, the school paper, the University Courier, suggested that the school needed a college yell. The science club's yell attracted attention and by the oratorical contest in the spring of 1887, the students were said to have been velling the chant.
The long, drawn-out yell we know today, followed
The yell has thus uniquely preserved Kansas tradition and Kansas geology, with both of which we are well supplied."
Robert Taft historian
by three short chants, was adopted by 1889. Taft suggests that it was this yell that popularized the figure of the Jayhawk and led to its eventual adaptation as the University's mascot.
The Steam Whistle
As often as Jayhawks hear the University's traditional yell, the frequency of that chant cannot begin to rival that of "The Big Tooter," the steam whistle that today signals the end of classes.
Stauffer-Flint Hall, blew at 7:45 a.m. as a wakeup call and late at night to signal curfew, according to a KU History article written by John McCool. In 1912, it was changed to mark the end of classes and the beginning of the passing period.
Originally, the whistle, now located on top of the power plant behind
The shift to marking the end of classes caused controversy between instructors and students, McCool writes. Chancellor Frank Strong told students that they could leave class as soon as the whistle sounded, even if instructors were still lecturing. Several instructors thought it rude when their students would immediately run for the door and students got angry when instructors kept them after the whistle.
The University Daily Kansan even occasionally published the names of professors who kept their students after the whistle. The professors fought back with their own story in the paper, according to McCool, saying that they had a right to finish their thought, rather than stopping mid-sentence. Some declared that they were hard-of-hearing and couldn't hear the whistle.
The issues between professors and students over class ending are not completely gone today, but they have been helped over the years by the whistle's move to the centrally-located power plant and the additional of an automatic timer.
ible number of hills during their time at the University, but no walk is as anticipated or meaningful as the walk down the Campanile Hill towards the Memorial Stadium on Commencement Day.
Graduation ceremonies Students going to school on Mount Oread will trudge up and skid down an incred-
Graduation ceremonies
Originally, graduates walked from the old Fraser Hall (located about where Wescoe Hall is now) down to the Robinson Gymnastium on Sunnyside Drive, according to Taft's book. In 1924, graduation was moved
to the stadium and the graduates would gather at Strong Hall before walking down to the ceremony.
Almost as important as the walk down the hill, the walk under the Campanile Tower is a vital part of graduation. Supposedly, a student who walks under the tower before graduation will not graduate on time. No one is quite sure where this legend comes from, but a 1950 issue of Graduate Magazine marks the first time graduates walked under the tower on the way down to commencement.
Students can learn more about KU Traditions and history by visiting kuhistory.com or the Spencer Research Library. The Office of First-Year Experience and Public Affairs Office also host a Traditions Night on Saturday, Aug. 20 as part of Hawk Week.
File Photo
The steam whistle that marks the end of classes. The whistle is located on a power plant behind Stauffer-Flint Hall
NOW HIRING CASHIERS COOKS, AND PREP COOKS!
2560 IOWA STREET LAWRENCE, KS 66046
Cashier: Provides prompt and friendly service to customers in a way that will exceed customer expectations and ensure customer satisfaction.
Cook; Prepares, cooks and presents food to order following all established company brand standards, guidelines and recipes. All this is done while maintaining the highest level of product quality and cleanliness.
Our Crew Members are rewarded with:
- Competitive wages ($9-$12/hour)
- Free meal Program - eat free every shift you work!
- Friendly, fun environment
- Growth opportunities - we promote from within!
- Flexible schedules
Prep Cook: Responsible for the cleaning and sanitizing of food preparation areas, equipment, utensils and storage areas, including the interior and exterior of the restaurant. You may assist other positions as needed.
Students and Non-Students Welcome
Apply in person from 2pm-4pm Monday-Thursday or apply on-line Interviews conducted on the spot!
Confidential
POPEYes
LOUISIANA KITCHEN
www.workatpopeyes.com
340 Fraser | 864-4121 www.psychclinic.ku.edu COUNSELING SERVICES FOR LAWRENCE & KU
Must be 16 years or older to apply.
KU SPIRIT DAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 10 a.m.—9 p.m.
Show your student ID and receive 20% OFF ANY SALON SERVICE.
Enjoy free samples refreshments and giveaways!
SUPER SAVINGS STOREWIDE
3311 Iowa Street, Lawrence, KS, 785.331.0330