True or false? Several BJU myths get demystified
Urban legends and myths. Nearly every university campus has humorous myths of some sort, and Bob Jones University is no exception.
Read on to find out about popular BJU campus myths from past and present—and see how these myths are debunked.
Sidewalks: Pink and Blue?
You’ve probably heard it before. “BJU has pink- and blue-colored sidewalks: pink for women students, blue for men students.” While the myth may be easier to believe for those who’ve never visited the campus, current students and faculty members realize this obvious fallacy.
So how did the colored sidewalk myth start?
“In every myth, there’s an element of truth because that’s what makes them last,” said Mr. Jonathan Pait, events and services manager for alumni relations. Mr. Pait has previously worked as the public relations coordinator for BJU.
Mr. Pait explained that the sidewalk myth probably came from that rule that restricts the areas where women and men students can be together. “Someone observes something that has an element of truth, and then they go out repeating as truth but they embellish it or they only show half the truth,” he said.
Dr. Renae Wentworth, a member of the English faculty, has shared many stories about BJU myths with her English classes. “The pink and blue sidewalk myth has been going on forever,” Dr. Wentworth said. “Once the myth gets perpetuated, it’s hard to stop.”
Underground tunnels
Students who pay attention as they walk around campus may have noticed the grates in the sidewalks that are openings for the underground tunnels around campus. The tunnel myths vary. Some say the tunnels are underground passageways that connect buildings to each other; others say the tunnels contain a stockpile of weapons owned by the University.
In actuality, the tunnels exist solely for utility reasons. Mr. Dave Brown, the electrical supervisor for the facilities department, said the tunnels were originally built as a drain and heating system. “There are several utilities in there: electrical, fiber optics, communications and water for irrigation systems,” Mr. Brown said.
The tunnels allow Internet cables and phone wires to connect between buildings, as well as connect steam lines to buildings for heating purposes.
Mr. Brown said approximately one mile of tunnel runs throughout the front portion of campus. Tunnel sizes vary from being four feet high by five feet wide, to eight feet high by nine feet wide.
Barbed Wire Fences and Guard Towers
One campus myth that was popular a few decades ago purported that a barbed wire fence and four guard towers surrounded the perimeter of the BJU campus to keep students from escaping the grounds.
Dr. Wentworth said she had heard this rumor before coming to BJU as a student. “Somebody had told me that he had on good authority that there were guard shacks and that [the guards] had AK-47s,” Dr. Wentworth said. “Of course, none of the myths that I heard were even close to being true.”
Although the guard tower and gun myths were erroneous, a barbed wire really did surround the entire campus in the past. “Back in the 60s, colleges were wild places,” Mr. Pait said. “The campus was more secured at that time because of fear of outside forces coming on campus and disrupting what was happening here.”
Mr. Pait explained that the barbed wire myth was really about its purpose rather than its existence. “The barbed wire was turned in such a way as to keep people out, not to keep people in,” Mr. Pait said.
Myths About Other College Campuses
University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada: there is a myth about underground tunnels that connect all of the buildings on campus.
Penn State University: one myth claims that a sundial on the Old Main lawn marks the geographic center of Pennsylvania.
University of Washington: a myth states that Red Square was paved with slippery red bricks to prevent students from gathering for riots and protests.
Villanova University: there is a myth that ghosts haunt some of the older dormitories that were once used as hospitals during the Civil War.
