It’s back to school time. For WKU students, that means getting a calf workout walking up the Hill every morning, smelling the faint scent of dog food wafting through the air and hearing Guthrie Bell Tower play slightly recognizable show tunes.
By this point, most students have learned the basics about the university, but we’ve compiled a list of nine fun facts* that you probably didn’t know.
Study them. Learn them. Impress your friends with your (false) knowledge of our beautiful university.
1. Big Red was originally a rejected McDonald’s Happy Meal character. He was aimlessly wandering the streets of Bowling Green after his rejection, seeking purpose, when a young, sprightly Gary Ransdell discovered him. Gary embraced Big Red in his bosom, saying, “You are destined for great things,” and began raising him as his own. Thus, our beloved mascot found his calling.
2. Frank Lloyd Wright designed Tate Page Hall. The building’s flat roof was totally his idea.
3. The second Tuesday of each month is Cattle Trading Day. Bring your gently used livestock to Centennial Mall between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to barter with your fellow students.
4. The thermostat in Gordon Wilson is always kept at a cool 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. The brick walls inside the Fine Arts Center are actually reclaimed brickwork from the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
6. The staff at the Writing Center in Cherry Hall will actually write your papers for you if you say the magic words. Go up to one of the tutors and say, “Pippity poppity, give me the zoppity,” and slide a root beer Dum Dum sucker across the table. Your paper will be done in no time.
7. Tiny elves are in charge of the upkeep of all the statues around campus.
8. Always wondered what’s on the restricted second level of PS1? Whisper “ya mamma” three times in the elevator, and you will be granted access without needing a key.
9. There is actually a Catholic Mass that takes place every Sunday at 10 a.m. in the Mass Media and Technology Hall Auditorium. You can attend Mass in Mass.
*Disclaimer: None of these have actually been verified.