"URBAN LEGENDS
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An "Urban Legend" is a good story that has a wide audience, has been told in several forms, and is believed even with a lack of evidence. If you've heard that there are alligators in NYC sewers, or that a tooth will dissolve in Coke, or that Disney drove herds of Lemmings off a cliff for a documentary, you have heard an urban legend. Bob Jones is full of fascinating rumors and stories; many have a basis in reality, and a few are completely true. Some are obviously from people not associated with the school. I'm quite sure that there are legends I haven't heard; feel free to send me any comments or additions to the list. To those who don't have a life, please don't write to tell me these are mostly urban beliefs, not legends. I know already.
There are nuclear missiles under the bridge of nations.
Oh yes, I love this one. A reader sent me a note that her brother had a roommate who came to BJ believing this completely. That would be pretty cool... if only it were true.
Art Gallery paintings move (turn upside down, fall off the wall, etc.).
The Art Gallery is home to a great number of legends. This particular story has been relayed through countless guides and guards, but I have yet to meet one who claims to have seen such with their own eyes. These stories almost certainly come from the late-night imaginations of security guards. By the way, most of the Art Gallery items are mounted or hung in such a manner that they cannot be turned or easily moved.
There is a human corpse hidden in the Art Gallery.
Well, in a way. There is a wood sarcophagus on display in the Art Gallery; it is a little frightful to those who aren't expecting it, as it has a remarkable statue of the deceased carved on the lid. I don't recall if there are human remains inside or not. Security guards have been known to initiate new members of the security team by hiding behind or under the sarcophagus and waiting for the opportune moment.
Chaperones hide in hollow trees to catch students in wrong-doing.
My wife went on a Caribbean cruise, and befriended the ship's piano player. This legend was the only thing he knew about Bob Jones. Remarkable! While BJ does have chaperones (Hosts, in BJ-speak) in the Dating Parlor and other gathering spots on campus, they do not hide in hollow trees or any other structures.
The guys on campus try to kill and eat the chipmunks.
Kill, yes. Eat... well, I'm sure someone has tried; the hunger is overwhelming on Sunday nights. If you've been to Bob Jones, then you've almost certainly seen the adorable little chipmunks. They are everywhere, and a perfect invitation for hunt-repressed males to take aim with sticks and stones. On occasion, the chipmunk population has grown to the point that the school had to take formal action and launch all-out battle against them. As to eating them, I don't know of any cases. I do recall someone heating a roach in a microwave, but that's a story best left alone.
There are secret (escape) tunnels underneath the campus.
Yes, although "secret" is a stretch, and escape is certainly not their purpose. The tunnels are used for maintenance access to steam pipes, electrical wiring, and other such mundane items. Many sidewalks on campus are the "ceiling" of a tunnel, explaining the grates found in the middle of many sidewalks. The "escape" portion of the legend comes from one branch of the tunnel going off-campus to CVA and another to the center of Faculty Court.
There is a secret escape hatch from the stage of the Amphitorium.
As far as I know, this legend stems from the pit into which the Amphitorium pulpit is lowered. I do not know of a "quick access" method to the pit, although one might exist. It is true that security has been rather tight when prominent political leaders have visited the school. This was particularly noticeable to me on a few occasions when Ian Paisley came from Ireland to speak and IRA tensions were high.
Nude men (usually, Furman students) run through the girl's dorms.
The legend goes that some Furman fraternities use this as an initiation rite. I have never had an eyewitness confirm this story, and as far as I know it has not happened any time in the last twenty years.
There is a secret room under the Administration building.
There is a storage vault under the Admin building where the majority of the school records are kept. There may be other rooms there as well; students tend to use the term "secret" for any area to which they do not have access. On an interesting note, one of the underground tunnels leads to the Admin building but ends abruptly in a large locked steel door. See the note about machine guns, below.
There is a stash of machine guns under the Administration building.
I haven't seen them, but quite a few people have reported this as true. Apparently BJU kept machine guns at the Welcome Center during the tumultuous, riotous 60's. They are now supposedly in storage in one of the storage rooms under the Administration building. One reader reported that they are rusty and probably not in firing condition.
Alice Cooper, Billy Graham, "Mona" from "Who's the Boss"... etc. were all BJU students.
An older faculty member did tell me he taught Alice Cooper; the faculty member had taught both Academy and University classes, and couldn't remember which classes Cooper was in. There is no question about Billy Graham; he attended BJ for one semester, and became close friends with Dr. Bob Senior. "Mona," or Katherine Helmond, did attend, and played the character Irene in Wine of Morning (a BJU-produced film). As I understand it, Sandi Patti attended a very short time before transferring to Anderson College (not Hyles-Anderson). Agnes Moorehead did leave an estate in Ohio to the school, and was considered a friend of the school, but did not attend. Considering the number of students that have attended BJ over the years, it is no surprise that a few famous people were in the number. Cybil Shepherd did not attend BJU, nor did Barry Manilow. Ozzy Osbourne has no connection to BJU. One note to readers who have never attended BJU: these rumors are rarely stated as bragging rights. Ironically, almost all are about people who "turned out bad" by BJU standards, and of whom BJU would be ashamed.
One member of the adminstration was a Nazi.
Dr. Guenter Salter, dean of the College of arts and Science, was in the German military as a youth. His father was a Baptist pastor and against the Nazi regime. Dr. Salter was drafted at age 15. He was captured by the allies and spent ten months in POW camps. He was saved at the age of eighteen and certainly is not in any way sympathetic with the Nazi causes. As a hobby, he now collects German daggers. Most students and some teachers have considerable respect (fear) for Dr. Salter, but he is a kind and gracious person with a incredibly intense desire to see everyone in his realm of influence strive for excellence. Don't get on his black list, however. :)
There are pink sidewalks for the girls and blue sidewalks for the boys.
Oh, puh-leeze. Every sidewalk on the place is a rather normal concrete color. Boys and girls share all sidewalks except for the immediate areas around the individual dormitories. This is the favorite story to get a laugh among BJ students.
Only approved Juniors and Seniors are allowed to date.
Not true, of course. Sounds like an ex-student's lame excuse turned into an urban legend.
Severed hands and feet were found in the practice shacks.
Wow, it's true... in a way. The "practice shacks" were a row of tiny rooms, each with a piano, used for music student practice. In the mid-1980's, a monitor (someone who checked students in and out of the rooms) looked into a room to find what appeared to be severed human hands on the keyboard and feet on the pedals. It turned out to be the hands and feet of a bear, with the fur shaved. A student who held an off-campus job with a taxidermist was attempting to play a practical joke. I've heard that BJ called the FBI onto the case, and the FBI identified the appendages as originally having been owned by a bear. A grad from the era told me that two brothers participated in the prank; they were not expelled, but both were campused and demoted from being P.C.'s and society officers.
Students skateboarded on the roof of the Academy building.
It is true. When skateboarding was at its peak with the grunge crowd, the Academy administration made a rule against skateboarding anywhere except one small area behind a dorm. A few rebellious students got the bright idea of 'boarding on the roof to make a statement. You can guess their average GPA.
A student was expelled for drinking milk (or... or... or...).
Yes... and no. There are many stories of students expelled for seemingly silly little things, but the reality is that in every case they had already amassed an enormous number of demerits. I choose the "drinking milk" story as an example. One student was indeed shipped for "drinking milk;" he went on to Pensacola, and spread the story of this injustice while there. The true story is that he already had gathered enough demerits to be expelled; the school had given him another chance, as BJU so often does. Drinking the milk was a blatant break of the rules and simply pushed him over the edge. Before the University had access to a large supply of milk through their dairy, milk was not provided for students. However, law required that the Academy provided milk for boarding high school students. Because Acads ate in the Dining Common, there was one small milk dispenser for them. University students were not allowed to use the machine.
The school has always been remarkably fair and even-handed in their dispensation of justice, and I do not know of a single student who didn't truly deserve the punishment they received.
If you don't get a date for Artist Series, you are assigned one.
It was true in the earliest days of the school, but no longer. Never fear, the socially inept are allowed to suffer in peace.
The Jerusalem Chamber is haunted.
Uh, right.
The Jerusalem Chamber is a room in Mack Library that stores a remarkable collection of historic Bibles. It is an exact replica of the room in which the translators of the King James Version of the Bible worked. I suppose the rumor came from the fact that the room does seem a little creepy... not the place I'd like to work.
Rodeheaver Auditorium is haunted.
Uh, right.
At least this one has a legitimate source, however. Several times, the veterans on the Rodeheaver work crew have given freshman newbies a few surprises. Being a stage theater, there is ample opportunity for delightful effects. I certainly won't go into any more detail, in case they wish to continue the fun.
There are secret doors and passageways in the Art Gallery.
Yes, there are a few "hidden" doors and hallways. Their purpose, however, is nothing sinister. The Gallery, originally designed as the Dining Common, has been modified in such a manner as to create as few distractions from the art as possible. It is not desirable to have obtrusive doors in the middle of elegant "themed" rooms. They lead to the offices and work/storage areas.
There are graves in the fountain.
Of course. Bob Jones Sr., his wife, and Bob Jr. have all been buried in the formal garden in the middle of the fountain.
There are graves on the roof of Rodeheaver.
Gravestones, yes, but no graves. When Dr. Bob Sr. died, they purchased several matching stones and placed them on the roof of Rodeheaver to weather. When Mrs. Jones Sr. and Dr. Bob Jr. died, the stones matched the one over Dr. Bob Senior's grave.
There is a giant (secret) room under the Dining Common.
A large warehouse occupies the space under the Dining Common. Where do you think they keep all the food? This is another case of "off-limits" being construed as "secret."
The main fountain is also the air-conditioning system.
Yes, the fountain was part of the air-conditioning system, but is no longer. The co-gen plant also serves double use; it creates the electricity, but it also creates steam and hot water for the dorms.
There is a tall barbed-wire fence to keep students in.
This is the classic rumor, and quite untrue. While there is a fence around the campus perimeter, it is definitely intended to keep other people out. Given the amount of animosity many people have toward BJU, it isn't a bad idea. Interestingly, it is remarkably easy for any student to leave campus at any time they want, as there are open gates at many places around the perimeter.
There is a spectacular secret room in the library.
One more time, off-limits does not equal secret. The board room is located in the library. It certainly is an impressive room, and contains two original Tiffany stained-glass windows. Take a tour of campus and you can get a peek at these treasures.
Bob Jones owns acres of property in _______ (name of state).
True, most likely. Many benefactors have left property to Bob Jones in their wills. One notable example is the farm in Mississippi.
At night, the Dining Common's carpet is rolled up and the place becomes a roller skating rink.
It's true. (snicker, snicker)"
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