Myths, legends and UF

[snopes]

College is a mysterious place. Among all the strange faces, unfamiliar buildings and abrupt new freedom, you'll hear some tall tales and false folklore.

But we're here to sort out the fact from the fiction.

Here are the top UF legends you might hear:

http://www.alligator.org/pt2/070815legends.php

[Cervus]

The rumor: Tom Petty's song "American Girl" was inspired by a female student who jumped from Beaty Towers.

Tom Petty sings, "She stood alone on her balcony. Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by, out on 441 like waves crashin' on a beach. And for one desperate moment there, he crept back in her memory."

The truth: Van Ness said there have been many suicides in UF's history, and at least one was caused by a jump from one of the Beaty Towers.

He said he thinks the Beaty suicide happened in the late 60's or early 70's, when Tom Petty was still performing in Gainesville.

Beaty Towers has no balconies, and the windows don't open far enough for someone to climb out. Unless you're on the roof, you can't jump from them. And Tom Petty himself says the song has nothing to do with UF or suicide.

[rlobinske]

UF accidentally invented love bugs

The rumor: During a science experiment gone awry, UF researchers invented the pests.

The truth: Love bugs came to Florida from Cuba, Van Ness said.

"We used to joke that it was a Cuban invasion," Van Ness said, laughing.

He said the insects have been in Florida since the late �60s, but they've been around for thousands of years.

The lovebug didn't come from Cuba, it migrated to Florida along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/lovebug.htm
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN694

[moonfall]

Why is the "Gainesville Ripper" story even included with ghost stories and rumors? (BTW, Danny Rolling was executed last year.)

The version of the Normal Hall ghost story I heard involved the elevators. Supposedly a class of elementary school kids died when the elevator crashed. My argument was that if this was the case, the elevators (the old-fashioned cage kind, which are scary to begin with) would no longer be in use.

Another sinkhole on campus is the Yulee Pit, right across the road from Beatty Towers. Sinkholes and caves are pretty common here. That's no rumor at all. If anyone ever managed to jump out of Beatty Towers, I have never heard of it.

I'm surprised the Alligator (the newspaper featured in the OP) didn't explore the origins of the name Lake Alice. I've heard that Alice was either a woman killed by an alligator or she watched her boyfriend get killed by one and was traumatized. Also, can anyone verify that there was once a pond with alligators near Century Tower until rival fans poured paint in it? A tour guide mentioned this during orientation.

[Cervus]

Originally Posted by moonfall

I'm surprised the Alligator (the newspaper featured in the OP) didn't explore the origins of the name Lake Alice. I've heard that Alice was either a woman killed by an alligator or she watched her boyfriend get killed by one and was traumatized.

Doubtful. If the lake was named in memoriam of someone who was killed - especially by an alligator - there would be a plaque commemorating it alongside the No Swimming signs. Most things on campus are named after people who donated lots of money to the school, the most recent example being Gale Lemerand.

Lake Alice is a man-made lake, but I can't seem to find out how old it is. If you are really curious, go ahead and ask the local historical society or see if you can find records of when Lake Alice was created. On a website I found this tidbit of information:

Ellis Mize (1882-1967) donated land with a lake bearing his name to the University of Florida's forestry education program

It seems possible that this may have originally been "Lake Ellis" which later became "Lake Alice". However, this is pure speculation on my part.

Also, can anyone verify that there was once a pond with alligators near Century Tower until rival fans poured paint in it? A tour guide mentioned this during orientation.

If there was ever a pond near Century Tower, it's a surer bet that it was filled in with concrete for one of the adjacent buildings. Again, this would be a question for the campus or city historian.

[rlobinske]

If there had been a pond near Century Tower, you can bet there would be a good chance of gator in it, it's Florida. Almost any pond or body of water you find in the state will have a resident or transient alligator.

[moonfall]

I always figured Lake Alice was named for the wife of a past university president or something.

The pond in question was indeed supposedly filled with cement. Now there is an alligator statue on a round cement-and-brick pedestal where it was supposed to have been.

[moonfall]

Originally Posted by rlobinske

If there had been a pond near Century Tower, you can bet there would be a good chance of gator in it, it's Florida. Almost any pond or body of water you find in the state will have a resident or transient alligator.

"Pond" is probably not the best way to describe what it was supposed to be. I was referring to a man-made pool specifically designed to hold alligators. Whether or not it ever existed, I don't know.

The reason I'm even bumping this thread is because the "American Girl" rumor has resurfaced thanks to Tom Petty's performance at the Super Bowl. One of my classmates is establishing himself as a spreader of urban legends. Monday it was "American Girl," and today it was "Apple seeds are toxic." (and I still haven't sent my professor the link disproving the "Ring around the Rosy" myth).

BTW, another version of the American Girl rumor has the girl jumping off the roof. I have no idea if you can actually access the roofs of Beatty Towers (note "Towers" is plural), but it doesn't seem likely.

[Cervus]

Originally Posted by moonfall

The pond in question was indeed supposedly filled with cement. Now there is an alligator statue on a round cement-and-brick pedestal where it was supposed to have been.

Oh, this one:



The gator statue is life-size. So, unless the "pool" was huge it could not have reasonably supported any alligators, unless they were in a captive zoo-like setting, which is so unlikely that I'm voting FALSE.

[moonfall]

Yes, that one. Perhaps I misunderstood the guide and he really did mean a pond, or it could have been somewhere else on campus. I have heard that there used to be live mascots, but I don't know where they would have been kept (supposedly it was near the stadium).

Alligators are definitely not my first choice for "animals that are appropriate to bring into a stadium," especially since other SEC teams have live dogs for mascots.

Mmm, UGA burgers...