Campus demystified: the mysterious aspects of Utah State’s campus
After a certain amount of time at Utah State University, a student may believe they’ve seen all there is to see. Or so it seems.
Some don’t think to wonder what actually lies at the top of Old Main or about the significance of the sculptures around campus. Some are unaware of the underground tunnels lying below their route to class.
The USU faculty and staff who know best weighed in on the little known, and at times mysterious, aspects of campus.
Old Main Tower
Standing tall since 1889, Old Main is the oldest academic tower in Utah still in use, according to the USU Historical Buildings document.
The “A” can be seen everywhere — not only peeking through areas of Cache Valley, but on countless logos, t-shirts and advertisements — yet not many have glimpsed inside Old Main tower itself.
“There isn’t much up there,” wrote Ben Berrett, director for facilities planning, design and construction for USU. “It is not a space that can be occupied.”
The chimes from the tower are not real bells, although they used to be, Berrett said. The original manual clarion bells were removed during renovation. There are now speakers mounted in the tower, which is where the chimes currently come from.
“The university has saved them and may restore them at some time,” Berrett wrote. “They are currently in storage with the Fine Arts Department.”
Sculptures
Many of the sculptures were either gifted, or they were created by sculpture professors and students, said Ryoichi Suzuki, assistant professor of sculpture at Utah State.
“Educator, Teacher, Friend,” the bronze piece in the Education Building courtyard fittingly depicting a classroom, was created by Kraig Varner. It commemorates the College of Education and Human Service’s namesake, Emma Eccles Jones.
Larry Elsner was the assistant sculpture professor for Utah State in the 1970s and ’80s. Elsner left his mark on Utah State with “Light Fixtures,” the iron spheres hanging in the Merrill-Cazier Library.
In the front of the library is another piece, “SNAFU” by John Kinnebrew. The steel sculpture is commonly known by its nickname: “french fries.” But “SNAFU” did not resemble french fries for a while, due to vandalism.
“Some students, I believe, spray painted it overnight. It stayed [blue] for a long, long time,” Suzuki said. “Then they finally moved it to a much nicer location, repainted it and changed it back to yellow.”
“Whispers and Silence,” the marble statue by the Agricultural Sciences building, is Suzuki’s own work. Through the course of two-and-a-half months, and with the help of students, Suzuki transformed 12,000 pounds of marble into the 7,000 pound sculpture. Salvageable marble was saved for future sculpture classes, Suzuki said.
Two sculptures by the LEAP house ー a 7-foot tall basalt piece, and an aluminum piece ー are the newest additions to the USU sculpture family, both created by students.
Underground tunnels
“If I ever tell someone that I’m involved in utilities, they’re like, ‘Are there underground tunnels?'” said Daniel Ferris, director of utilities and energy management. “That’s almost always one of the first questions that students ask.”
When the Central Energy Plant was built, a little more than a mile of tunnels were built, too. Additional tunnels branched off the original, now totaling in almost two miles.
“There’s always this kind of urban legend about the tunnels. We do have them. They bring utilities to all of the campus, and people are fascinated that we have tunnels that connect our buildings underground,” Ferris said.
The main purpose of the tunnels is to provide steam and chilled water to buildings around campus. It’s more energy efficient to have a single large boiler in one location than several smaller ones, Ferris said.
When walking through the tunnels, it’s easy to forget they’re underground. The newer tunnels, at least, are tall, clean and wide enough for two people to walk comfortably side by side.
Someone can, in theory, navigate almost all of campus using the tunnels. However, they’re used for maintenance and not for travel purposes, Ferris said.
Those who are dying to see the mysterious underground tunnels for themselves can contact Reid Olsen, the manager of the central energy plant, for student group tours.
— whitney.howard@aggiemail.usu.edu
@omgwhitshutup