Getting hit by a CATA bus leads to a free ride. Sorority houses would run afoul of Pennsylvania’s law banning brothels. The very horizontal Hammond Building was meant to be very vertical. Stray into Pattee Library’s stacks at your own risk. What’s behind these campus legends, and are they true?

Sorority Houses Banned by Law?
It doesn’t seem fair. Fraternity houses dot town and campus while every sorority chapter is housed in the residence halls. The reason is simple: Pennsylvania law states that more than five unrelated women living in a house is considered a brothel. Or is it more than three? Twelve? The correct answer is none of the above. Pennsylvania has no such law. And Penn State did have sorority houses on campus in the 1930s and 1940s. As the number of women on campus increased and sororities formed, they were first housed in the “cottages” on campus that had previously served as faculty housing. But the sororities quickly outgrew the cottages, which could accommodate a dozen women on average. The construction of South Halls and Pollock Halls offered more space for sororities, with entire floors devoted to members and suites available for chapter activities.

When questioned about the lack of sorority houses in State College, past town leaders have pointed out that zoning laws do not specifically prohibit sorority houses. Local regulations do prohibit more than three unrelated people living in one house in areas zoned residential. Most fraternities are either in commercial zones or existed before that regulation took effect. While no laws—state or local—prohibit sororities from having houses, they have chosen to remain in the residence halls. 

The Sideways Skyscraper
Stretching for 609 feet and nearly three blocks along College Avenue, Hammond Building is often maligned as one of Penn State’s least attractive buildings. The popular folklore about the building is that it was intended to rise vertically from the site and its long hallways were originally designed as elevator shafts but due to a conflict between architects and engineers, it ended up “on its side” instead.

“Architectural follies and architectural acts of revenge are frequent campus legends,” said Simon Bronner, Distinguished Professor of American Studies and Folklore at Penn State Harrisburg. “Nearly every campus has a story like that.” Penn State Harrisburg has such a legend about campus housing. “We had housing here—Meade Heights—that was drafty in the winter and boiling hot in the summer,” he explained. “The legend was that they were intended for Florida but, due to an administrator’s mistake, were built here.” Ironically, the legend persists even though the housing is gone, replaced by new residence halls. 

In an effort to dispel the enduring Hammond Building legend, both Bronner and University historian Michael Bezilla have looked at the original plans and confirm that it was designed as a horizontal building and never intended as a skyscraper. Bronner’s book, Piled Higher and Deeper: The Folklore of Campus Life, delves into enduring legends at Penn State and other universities. He’s currently at work on the third edition of the book, which will be published by Penn State Press (where Penn State Alumni Association members receive a 10 percent discount).

Ghosts Among Us
Penn State’s illustrious President George Atherton is buried alongside Schwab Auditorium and his ghost is said to inhabit the building and watch over thespians. Atherton’s wife, Frances, is another campus ghost who reportedly watches over Schwab, and her husband’s grave, from the dormers of “Old Botany” across the street.

Ghosts figure prominently in campus legends, Bronner reports. “They’re usually benevolent ghosts who watch out for students in fraternity houses or other buildings,” Bronner said. He explains that these friendly ghosts serve the purpose of easing some of the anxiety associated with students’ transition from the comfort and safety of home to the greater independence of college life. “Ghosts are also extremely prevalent in theatres, another place where there’s anxiety associated with performing,” said Bronner.

Another story with ghostly elements involves the 1969 murder of graduate student Betsy Aardsma in the stacks of Pattee Library. Though the unsolved murder was real, the stories about ghosts in the stacks have included reports of “a presence” or “attacks by in invisible force” near the spot where Aardsma was attacked.

Big Brother
Another popular category of legends includes stories of the “unseen administration” said Bonner. Older legends often focused on the professor-student relationship and highlighted the brilliant but absentminded professor. More recent legends attempt to personalize the institution, often with favorable outcomes for students. A popular legend has it that the death of a roommate means automatic straight As for the surviving roommate. Not true. As University Vice President Bill Mahon told the Collegian a few years ago, “You get all As by doing well in your courses and performing well on tests. Nobody gets As for something that happens outside the classroom.” A more recent twist on this legend has it that getting hit by a CATA (Centre Area Transportation Authority) bus means free tuition for the victim. False. Other than contracting with the University to provide Campus Loop service, CATA is not affiliated with Penn State and, therefore, is not in the position to grant free tuition.

Have a favorite campus legend? We’d love to hear it, and we’ll even try to let you know if it’s fact or fiction. Send your stories to asf1@psu.edu. Be sure to include graduation year and current residence (city, state), and we might include your letter in a future edition of AlumnInsider.

The University maintains a site on Penn State Myths that covers everything from the source of the word “Nittany” to whether the sundial on Old Main Lawn really marks the exact center of Pennsylvania (which by the way, it doesn’t).