By Camille Cox | Staff Writer
Myths and superstitions — such as the belief that walking on the school seal will keep you from graduating — have circulated Baylor’s campus for years. Students shared their thoughts on what is Baylor myth and what is reality.
According to student legend, if two students sit on a green and gold bench together, they will get married. There is not a sure source for where this rumor began, but it has spread throughout campus for years.
Denville, N.J., sophomore Ben Rozansky said when he transferred to Baylor, he heard about the benches and knew it was a rumor, but he hasn’t seen many people sit on them.
“I know of course it isn’t true, but I think it’s interesting that students all collectively know about this myth,” Rozansky said. “I’ve heard some of my friends say that their parents who went here used to hear the same rumor about the benches.”
Collins Hall has held secrets for years, with some being true and others being entirely false. While it is a myth that the sixth floor is haunted, it is true that students can use their closet key to access the basement elevator.
San Antonio sophomore Megan Huff said when she lived in Collins, she and her friends went to see if they could go down to the basement. The elevator in Collins requires a key to go down to the basement, so Huff said she used her closet key from her room, and it worked.
“I’ve heard rumors about the Collins basement, so me and my friends wanted to try to see it while we still lived there,” Huff said. “We were able to go into the basement and walk around. The basement itself wasn’t anything crazy — just creepy, smelly and super old.”
While rumors and myths vary across the nation according to each individual college campus, it appears consistent that college students believe that if their roommate dies, they will receive free tuition, an automatic 4.0 GPA or even six weeks off of school.
Wimberley freshman Gillian Guynes said she heard about this myth when she moved into her dorm with her roommate.
“When I first got here, we were told that if your roommate dies or commits suicide, you get six weeks off of school, and you don’t have to do your work,” Guynes said. “I think if your roommate dies, your teachers will be personally nice to you and help you out, but I don’t know where we heard that you would get six weeks off of school completely.”
San Francisco freshman Ryan Catanzarita said he recently heard about the roommate myth.
“Somebody told me that if your roommate dies, you automatically get a 4.0 due to the trauma that it puts you through,” Catanzarita said. “And I kind of believed it at first, but obviously I don’t think it makes complete sense. Yes, professors would help you out, but I don’t think a school can just do that automatically.”
