3 College Myths: Debunked
College introduces students not only to new classes and challenges, but also to a wealth of local mythology. But some the legends could be true.
The myth: If a roommate dies during the school year, the surviving roommate will automatically receive a 4.0 GPA for the semester.
The verdict: Completely and unquestionably false.
The truth: Variations of this tall tale have been circulating through college campuses since the mid-1970s. While Utah State University does offer counseling services for grieving students, no student is guaranteed an “A” if his or her roommate dies. In fact, not a single university in the country has such a rule.
Contemporary folklorists are uncertain of the widespread legend’s origins. Other versions of the story say the surviving roommate must be the one to find the body or that the death must have been a suicide. In some variations, each survivor receives a 3.5 GPA if the deceased had multiple roommates.
This myth is so pervasive that it inspired two 1998 movies: “Dead Man on Campus” and “Dead Man’s Curve.” Television shows like “The Simpsons” and “CSI:NY” have used the legend as a a major plot line for some episodes.
However in all real-life cases, the best most colleges can offer to distressed students is exceptional consideration that varies depending on the situation.
The myth: There is a huge underground tunnel system below campus.
The verdict: True — sort of.
The truth: While students would be wrong in assuming that Utah State has a labyrinth of dungeons below the quad, it does have a system of utility tunnels designed to carry water and electricity to all of the buildings on campus. Constructed in 2002, the tunnels are about 1.6 miles long and 10 feet wide.
Before the newer system was installed, Utah State used a coal boiler system that remained in place since the early 1900s. The installation of utility tunnels reduced the amount of carbon emissions by almost 84 percent in the first year of operation.
Although university facilities operators frown on individuals attempting to explore the tunnels alone, truly interested students can request a guided tour. Kalee Tyson, an undeclared freshman, took one such tour with her fellow student ambassadors.
“It was cool,” she said. “It was crazy to start at one side of campus and then just go through a series of tunnels. They’re all lit, but you’re underground and you don’t know where you are—and end up at a totally different place on campus.”
Tyson said that she entered near the stadium but exited in a bathroom in the Edith Bowen Laboratory School.
“It was just weird to start on the lower side of campus, but then end up somewhere completely different the next time we were aboveground,” she said.
The myth: If your professor is late to class, you are entitled by school rules to leave early. Some variations say to wait at least 15 minutes for doctorate-holding professors and 10 minutes for lecturers and only five minutes for teachers’ assistants.
The verdict: False.
The truth: Nowhere in Utah State’s policies does it say that an instructor’s tardiness means your class is canceled. Technically, a students could leave, but they wouldn’t be excused from any lectures or tests that happened during their absences.
Ideally, students will be informed of any class cancellations long before class begins. If a student is checking the clock and notices they’ve sat through 10 or 15 minutes of class without an instructor, they might consider sending the professor a respectful email asking their whereabouts. Otherwise, students could review homework with classmates. The professor will likely be impressed students had the initiative to stay in class and find productive activities to pass the time.
How these legends became legends:
Randy Williams, an oral history specialist and the Fife Folklore Archives curator in the Merrill-Cazier Library, said urban legends take hold when they resonate emotionally with their audience.
In the case of the dead roommate, Williams said the story responds to a fear of mortality and a need to know “what if?” The rumor of the 4.0 GPA could be an add-on to reassure students that if an emergency were to happen, they would have people and things to support them.
“The legends that students tell — that all people tell — have something to do with the situation they’re dealing with at that time,” Williams said. “Folklore is shaped by groups of people that have similar interests. So college is a great place for that. You don’t all know each other, but you’re all university students so it resonates with you.”
— h.mickeyd@gmail.com or @h_mickeyd