Oct. 15, 2014

By Amber Levenhagen

Few myths have been passed around campus through the generations, but until now little light has been shown on the truth of the matter.

Some of the common myths include guaranteed free tuition if struck by a campus vehicle while walking to class, or automatically receiving straight ‘A’s if a roommate passes away. Lastly, if a professor is five minutes late to class, students are allowed to leave without being penalized.

None of these statements are true, however, according to Dean of Students Mary Beth Mackin.

“These [myths] have been around since I was in college; they are all completely false,” Mackin said.

While UW-Whitewater doesn’t have a specific policy regarding when students are allowed to leave class, Mackin advises students to use their best judgment.

Professors will usually have their own policies that could affect a decision on whether to leave or stay.

In the circumstance that a roommate passes away, neither free tuition nor straight ‘A’s are guaranteed to students; however, counseling is offered free of cost to students through the University Health and Counseling Services (UHCS).

Individual, group and couples counseling are available, as well as phone number hotlines for additional help, according the UHCS website.

“Sometimes students unfortunately pass, and in that circumstance, we will always notify the student body,” Mackin added. “We will always have counseling services available, and most importantly, we will have faculty available to directly help those students.”

Sophomore Kian Lewis commented on the idea of free tuition granted to students struck by campus vehicles, saying she was skeptical.

“I never really believed it,” Lewis said. “I don’t even remember the first time I heard it. That story has been here since I came to campus. It might have happened to somebody a while back, but I’ve never heard of that actually happening to a student.”

Mackin confirms this story is also false.

“Any campus would have their variation of a myth like this, but there is no truth to it at all,” Mackin said.

Senior Kim Carter said that word-of-mouth is generally the trend of which rumors like this can spread, but with the advancement of technology, the internet is a way to pass on these stories to more people.

“I’ve heard that instead of getting straight ‘A’s, you’d get free tuition if your roommate dies,” Carter said. “These kinds of stories make for good jokes, but I’ve never heard of there being truth to it.”