Students often hear campus legends regarding everything from reclaimed water to mysterious helicopter pads. The Peppervine has produced a fair amount of this fruit, some true and some false. Freshmen often fall prey to these rumors from early on, believing tales of pure fiction until the day they graduate. We know, because we still believe those tales.
And so with pens in hand, we’ve phoned administrators, talked with campus employees and Googled our way down to the bottom of nine Pepperdine legends. Here are the facts.
• Contrary to what many believe, the stained-glass window in Stauffer Chapel is not the largest of its kind this side of the Mississippi. Many students believe this, and for good reason: When contractor Robert Donovan constructed the window in 1972, it did win that title. Dubbed the “Tree of Life,” the window is the largest section of Stauffer Chapel’s 3,000 square feet of glass, according to Sally McIlwain, campus director of filming and weddings.
• Also contrary to some students’ warnings, the reclaimed water in campus sprinklers is not so toxic that people must take showers if struck by it. Simply washing the affected area with soap and water will do, said Rick Leach, director of campus services for Facilities Management and Planning. The reclaimed water comes from Pepperdine and gets treated at one of two nearby plants, then pumped back onto campus for the sole purpose of irrigation.
“You don’t want to drink it, but it’s very close to drinking water,” Leach said. “People are supposed to wash their hands after they come in contact with it. Once it goes into those ponds, other things can happen. There’s a lot of ducks and geese down there.”
• Many remember the legend about Barbra Streisand complaining about lighting the theme tower at night. Streisand had nothing to with the lights going off, according to President Andrew K. Benton. The administration initially lit it after building the Malibu campus in 1972 but failed to obtain proper permission from Los Angeles County. After county officials told Pepperdine of its violation, the school agreed not to light it anymore.
• Another rumor is that Pepperdine uses the unique ZIP code 90263 because the city of Malibu did not want the university sharing its own ZIP code 90265. Pepperdine once shared the same ZIP code with Malibu, but continued growth eventually necessitated the change, wrote Benton via e-mail.
• We also heard a story that director James Cameron owns a helicopter pad on the ridge above Drescher Campus. According to a guard at the site, this is true, and there are more than helicopters there. Several military vehicles are also at the facility, though the entire area is under security.
•There’s also the continuing question of Dorm 9, and specifically why it doesn’t exist. Though several legends offer their own answers, Director of Housing Jim Brock said the land for the dorm instead became the Community Living offices, around which Pepperdine eventually built the HAWC.
“I just wish there was a more interesting story to tell,” Brock wrote in an e-mail.
• There is also a rumor that the Adamson family, original donors of the land for the Malibu campus, added a clause stipulating that if the university ever sells alcohol on campus, the land reverts back to Adamson ownership. Benton said that, as far as he knows, there is no such clause.
• Why John Tyler Drive closes between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. is another perplexing question that often plagues students.
“It is a requirement of the County of Los Angeles as well as an element of a University agreement with the Malibu County Estates Homeowners Association,” Dawn Emrich, assistant director of Public Safety wrote in an e-mail.
• Another rumor concerns the price of trees. According to the Center for the Arts, the palm trees around Smother’s cost $40,000 each. However, Pepperdine does not use student funds to pay for the trees. Instead, the school uses naming opportunities – donors pay money to put their name on the tree.
And so, after much exhaustive research, we hope we’ve tidied the Peppervine by 9 rumors. There are hundreds more, of course. But we’ve dabbled in this long enough, frankly. It’s time for real news.
09-22-2005