DePauw: Exposed!

Let's face it--DePauw is old...really, really old. As most antiquated places go, DePauw is shrouded in mystery, clouded by myth, and steeped in tradition. For your reading pleasure, I have compiled a short list of some of the more interesting tidbits you're not likely to find in the guidebook. Enjoy and be enlightened!

The Boulder

So you've read what the guidebook has to say about this large rock that makes its home on the lawn of East College. You know that a local farmer dug the thing up, and wanting to make a quick buck, started charging people a quarter a pop to view his magnificent "petrified turtle" (I told you there was a lot to do and see in Greencastle!). Somehow, this marvelous mineral ended up at DePauw University...but...what purpose does it serve? Step outside during fraternity initiation or on the eve of the first winter's snow and you'll get a rather stark introduction to the wonderful world of boulder runs--a special event where various fraternity members strip naked and race from their respective house, around the boulder, and back home again.

East College

Completed in 1882, East College is the oldest structure on DePauw's campus. It's gloriously gothic edifice is portrayed on everything from stationary to t-shirts, and its hallowed walls have tales to tell that would fill volumes. Here are some little-known facts about East College:
-Chapel services were once held in Meharry Hall. During these services, men were required to sit on one side of the pews and women on the other. The wooden dividers meant to keep in check the raging hormones of 19th century college students can still be observed today.
-The owl statue that stands guard over the lawn surrounding East College is rumored to hoot softly at night whenever a virgin should happen to pass by. Unfortunately, the owl has been strangely silent for about 50 years now.
-The bell tower has played host to a strange cast of characters throughout the years, namely barnyard animals. Graduating classes, especially, are notorious for releasing pigs,
goats, and even cows into the tower.
-As most old buildings go, East College is purportedly haunted by several troubled spirits including one of a young woman who in a fit of despair, hung herself in the bell tower. Janitors have reported lights that they turned off the night before being back on in the morning, toilets flushing by themselves, and even apparitions floating through the halls as
staff worked late into the night.
Mystery Right Under Your Feet:
Sellers Cave
Imagine that you are a DePauw student living in the socially confining atmosphere of 1846. You and your romantic interest certainly can't get any privacy on campus (the third floor of Roy O. didn't exist at this time), and like most college students, you're fairly penniless. What was a poor, lovelorn frat guy or sorority girl to do? Visit Seller's Cave, of course! Seller's Cave and the surrounding woods were known as the "social hub" of DePauw from the mid-1800's until the 1950's. Though the elysian pleasures of a stroll through ancient woods to a secluded cavern may seem an appealing thought, the history of the cave holds a dark, tragic secret. In 1848, human remains were discovered in the depths of Seller's Cave. The cave was closed by the city during the years of the Civil War (1861-1865). It is believed that during this tumultous time, slaves making their way along the Underground Railroad leapt off of the New Albany train which passed through Seller's forest. They then entered the caves and crawled through a network of tunnels that lay beneath the city of Greencastle--and the campus. Many residence swear that they have seen a closet in an old home on Indiana Street that houses a trap door exit from the Seller's Cave tunnels. The Bittles & Hurt Funeral Home (a giant Gothic-Victorian style house you'll undoubtedly notice) is also rumored to have been a tunnel exit. There are many other stories about secret entrances and trapdoors throughout Greencastle, located in homes and businesses. The tunnels, after moving under DePauw's campus, head northeast from an entrance just a few feet east of the railroad tracks and extend, allegedly, all the way to the Dairy Castle on Indianapolis Road. There are many rumors (most of them probably true) about tunnel entrances/exits on campus, such as one under East College, under old West College (where Roy O. Library now stands), and near the Pi Beta Phi Sorority House. It has been proven that many slaves did not reach their desired freedom--many died from illness, starvation, old age, and childbirth in the tunnels that lie beneath DePauw's pastoral campus. For fifty years now, the tunnel entrances have been sealed. So next time you're burning the midnight oil in the basement of Roy O. or taking a late night jog around campus, stop for a moment to consider that things aren't always as they have been, not always as they seem...and that you may not be as alone as you think you are.
The Man, the Myth, and the Legend:
University President Bob Bottoms
Ladies and gentlemen, here he is--the man who dangles your entire future from his fingertips...the academic mogul who rules DePauw with an iron fistfull of cold, hard cash...the big cheese himself--President Bob Bottoms. He's a rather secretive figure, preferring to remain secluded from the public eye in his office (which you'll probably only see the inside of if you kill someone or put cyanide in the gravy at the Hub or something of equally devastating proportions) or in his massive, barn-style mansion with his dog and his dear wifef. In fact, I think I only saw Bob live and in person about 8 times my entire freshman year. Bob-sightings tend to coincide with important campus events or tragedies. You'll get your first taste of our loveable, huggable president at the freshmen convocation. He'll then remain invisible for several weeks afterwards, giving you time to recover from the blinding glory he exuded during the ceremony. If a major speaker happens to come to campus, he'll introduce them, and then sit next to them as they speak. If their monologue becomes boring, you can always watch Bob as he struggles to remain concious on stage. On a very rare occasion, you may see him in the Hub, not eating that garbage, of course--just watching with fatherly pride as "his" student body rushes past in a flurry of activity. If you happen to be a prestigious Rector Scholar, please heed these words of advice. Most likely, as a Rector Scholar, towards the beginning of the schoolyear, you will be extended an invitation to join Bob Bottoms at his home for dinner. Whatever you do, do NOT:
a).comment on the rather "barnish" appearance of the Bottoms estate. Truth be known, in a past life, the mansion WAS a barn, and a barn that the Bottoms family is bursting with pride over. Impress Mr. and Mrs. Bottoms--tell them you're Amish, and that you've never seen such an impressive beam structure.
b).point and laugh at the ancient oil paintings that bedeck the walls of the Bottoms mansion--that frightening guy with the white beard is actually Bob's mother.
c). make fun of Bob's dog--a white Bichon Frise. If you call her a "walking cotton ball" or something of equally true, but cruel proportions, you may find yourself disinvited from any subsequent dinners.
The number one thing to keep in mind about our dear University President is this: He's just human being like the rest of us, and even though he does hold your future in the palm of his hand, makes $320,000 a year, AND lives in a barn, he's still a normal guy trying to get by in the world, so show him a little respect.

Things That Go Bump in the Night
Spirits of DePauw
East College...North Quad...Roy O...fraternities and sororities...They all have chilling stories to tell. So next time you see something out of the corner of your eye, next time a door creaks open by itself and you blame it on a draft, consider one of the following short tales.