Matt Crow/Undergraduate Admissions
While other schools' myths and superstitions may revolve around ghosts in the libraries or avoiding walking under a clocktower, Wichita State has a bit more of a creative path. We have three leaf clovers.
Outside Wallace Hall, where many engineering classes take place, there are two shamrocks laid on a tiled path. As a symbol of St. Patrick, the patron saint of engineers, the clovers are displayed for all to walk by, or if you dare, walk on.
The myth is if you stand on one of the shamrocks, you're bound to marry an engineer, and if you step on both, you cancel them out and undo the myth. But legend is, if you find the third hidden clover somewhere on campus, it is believed to give you good luck in life - unless you reveal its location!
The clovers were placed in front of Wallace Hall as a way to redirect students from their previous St. Patrick's Day shenanigans.
The Sunflower
Back in the 1960s, students would climb the clock tower of Morrison Hall and decorate the clock faces with large shamrocks. This would be a signal to engineering students that classes were cancelled, and a St. Patrick's picnic would be held with food and games. The campus police would find the roof climbers and charge them for their petty crime, releasing them in time for lunch and joining the activities. But as this tradition was dangerous for students, the three-leaf clovers were set in place to redirect attention.
If you're walking around campus, keep your eyes out for the clovers, and if you manage to find the hidden one, keep your lips sealed on its location!
Blog home All posts