The University has about 4,600 undergraduate and a few thousand graduate students enrolled in various programs. Each has heard, repeated, or believed a few myths that the school seems to be popular for. From the golf carts, to landscaping, to a possible ghost, everyone has had an experience and a hard time depicting reality from myth.
Golf carts are envied by many as they drive around campus on rainy, cold, windy days, and even the hot, sweaty ones. Sometimes, the carts sneak up and scare from behind, or the driver looks as if they are going on a joyride, while others become extremely close to hitting innocent people strolling along. There have been rumors that if a golf cart hits someone, it results in them receiving free tuition.
Not to disappoint anyone, but even if a student got hit, suffered the pain and even received surgery, tuition would still be paid out of their own pocket. Kaitlyn Jones, a junior health studies student, is one of countless students who has heard this myth, but when she brought it up to one of the faculty members she was proven wrong.
Jones said, “My professor laughed in my face. If anyone were to get hit by a golf cart, they would still have to pay to attend Monmouth. Trust me, if this was true I would have dodged in front of a cart on my first day here my freshman year.” Sadly, there is no easy way to attend this University for free, so please do not try to dive in the path of a cart because it definitely is not worth it.
Students pay upwards of $40,000 a year to attend this beautiful, magnificent school. No matter what season and temperature, there is always some sort of landscaping occurring on the University ground. In fall and spring, new flowers are planted every second of each day it seems, the grass is cut Monday through Sunday, and trees are trimmed and their leaves collected. In the winter, salt is frequently thrown to decorate the sidewalks. Many students joke that the landscaping is the only aspect of the University that symbolizes where each dollar for our education is going. A simple walk around campus, and the buzz about money going towards flowers and gardening instead of equipment and better food is a common complaint.
The University is gorgeous, but is it true that all of our tuition goes towards trees and flowers? Jennifer Shamrock, a lecturer in the communication department who has been working on this campus for 12 years, put the myth to bed. “I have heard students complain about their money going towards landscaping and necessities with growing beautiful plants and flowers, but it is not true. Monmouth does not buy flowers, trees, and plants, they grow them here on campus themselves, and they really do not spend as much money as people think.”
So, there you have it: the University does not spend millions of dollars on pretty roses and daisies, they grow them themselves.
Besides the landscape, the library is also exquisite. It is the home to a variety of individuals weekly, and its walls usually see some students cry or scream because of school-related stress. The library is open until midnight, which may seem early compared to other universities, but perhaps it’s for the best because many believe that there is a ghost that haunts the building.
This female spirit, which is said to be one of the library’s former residents who lived there when it was once a house, has been seen descending down the stairs and drifting from room to room.
Alison Maoli, a junior business administration student, has heard this often. She said, “I am not really sure what to believe. But I know one thing for sure, either way, true or not, you won’t see me in the library after midnight to figure it out.”
At a school with thousands of students, it’s no wonder that a number of myths circulate around campus. Although some are more believable than others, it’s probably best not to believe everything you hear.
PHOTO COURTESY of Jaclyn Shugard
