Dawsyn is a Marketing Coordinator at Wichita State's Office of Admissions. She is
a graduate of Wichita State's Elliott School of Communication and loves BTS, cats
and Pop Rocks.
One of two clovers in front of Wallace Hall.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.
Morrison Hall's clock tower was traditionally decorated with shamrocks for St. Patrick's
Day in the 1960s.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!