Tales Continued from Page 1 at numerous campuses, garnished with different details but essen tially the same stories. The rumor that if a dorm resi dent’s roommate commits suicide, the resident receives a 4.0 GPA for the term has gained so much na tional popularity it was made into a movie, “Dead Man on Campus.” “My brother said they do that at his school [Virginia Tech],” fresh man Ashley Rogers said. “But I’m not sure if they really do or if he’s just being stupid.” Graduate student Bill Hammond has heard that one, too, as an un dergraduate at Berkeley. “I heard it but never believed it," he said. He’s right. According to the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society’s “Urban Legends Reference Page" (www.snopes.com), no university in the United States has such a pol icy. And Sherman confirms that the University is no exception. But students continue to tell the story, sometimes adding that it really happened to “a friend of a friend.” “I think it stems from the fact that a lot of people aren’t happy with their roommate,” said Bill Holmstrom, assistant resident di rector of Hamilton Complex. “It’s kind of a fantasy to think about — their roommate would be gone, and they wouldn’t have to do any thing in school.” Many other campus urban leg ends spring from fear — fear of failing, fear of a new place, fear of being alone, said Barbara Mikkel son of the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society. One tale, in which a dorm resi dent returns late one night and leaves the light off, is featured in the movie “Urban Legend.” The resident awakens the next morn ing to a murdered roommate and the words “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?" written on the wall. This legend address es the fear of living on one’s own. “The legends help by identify ing dangerous behaviors that should be curtailed and simple precautions that should be tak en,” Mikkelson said. “As such, Fact vs. fiction Many urban legends circulate on the Internet and through e-mail, dis guised as news stories or factual items. Here's how to distinguish tact from urban legend: 1. Be wary of “authoritative” attribu tion. It doesn't take much to say a story is from a newspaper. 2. If it doesn't sound like a news story, it's probably not. Lookfor specific de tails and thefuil attribution of quote. 3. Be skeptical of anything promis ing something free. 4. Disbelieve anything that urges you to forward the message to all of your friends. SOURCE: Barbara Mikkelson, The San Fernan do Valley Folklore Sodety they help put the student back in the driver’s seat — or at least give him the comfort of thinking he’s back in charge.” Unlike the 4.0 rumor, some col lege legends originate at a specific university, where they become a part of that campus’ cultural iden tity. The University has a few of these, many of them reflecting a fascination with the structures on campus. According to an older legend, whenever a virgin walks by, the Pi oneer Mother is supposed to stand, Sherman said. In another version of this tale, found in the book “A Study of American Folklore” by Jan Brunvand, the Pioneer “father” whistles at passing virgins. While these stories are obvious ly false, other campus legends have a factual basis. In the residence halls, RAs often tell residents of a fire that de stroyed a dorm room in Bean Com plex three years ago, said Joshua Greenough, an RA in Riley Hall. “We use it to tell people to make sure they don’t have can dles and things,” he explained. The fire, which actually hap pened, has become an integral part of campus lore. Many students have also heard that Bean Complex used to be a prison but was converted to a resi dence hall. “The reason for that one is be cause the architect who designed Bean Complex also designed pris ons,” Greenough added. Finally, Greenough said his freshman residents are convinced that a network of underground tunnels connects every building on campus, another popular leg end at the University. Some add that the tunnels are now filled with telecommunications equip ment and are inaccessible. “I think my freshmen are going to be looking for tunnels all year,” he said. These types of urban legends re sult less from fear than from a de sire to belong, Greenough believes. “I think because it’s a new place, and they really don't know anything factual about it, the sto ries help their perception of what the University is,” he said. "They can kind of put their hands on it and say, ‘This is what it is.’” While freshmen are often cred ulous about University folklore, especially those stories based on fact, Sherman finds that most stu dents no longer believe the more outrageous and horrifying urban legends. She attributes this skep ticism to the urban legend's fairly recent initiation into pop culture. “It’s become a common term. People know how the tales are produced, and they don’t believe it,” she said. “In the past I’ve had students say, ‘You mean, this did n’t actually happen?’ But that has n’t happened for a long time. ” As students become more famil iar with urban legends, they disbe lieve them at increasingly younger ages, so the campfire storyteller has a harder time convincing the audience of their factuality. But that doesn’t mean the tradi tional art of folk-telling is dying out, Sherman added. “I believe people are still telling them around campfires; it’s just their ages are getting younger and younger.” Welcome Back Students 2858 Willamette St. 338-8455 Delta Oaks 1060 Green Acres Rd. 344-1901 PRICES GOOD 9/21-10/6 •Low prices • Friendly service • Locally owned • On-site bakery • Fresh produce • Bulk foods • Organic & natural foods • Fresh meat & seafood 0041511 Natural Spaghetti Sauce 990 $597 varieties of microbrews O&J, 14 OZ. 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