Santa Clara University

Campus myths

The tallest building on Santa Clara's campus (and for several miles around) is Swig Hall, a dormitory with 11 stories. It was built when Santa Clara was still known as the University of Santa Clara, and some students claim that Swig was actually intended for the other USC (University of Southern California), as the same company was designing a dorm for both schools. Supposedly the plans were mixed up somehow, resulting in Swig dominating the Santa Clara skyline while a quiet little adobe building sits in a corner of USC's campus. Most say this is pure myth.

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On a side note, USC bought the rights to the acronym USC from Santa Clara. The newly-renamed SCU received a monetary settlement and a gift of palm trees, which are on prominent display around the campus and give their name to Santa Clara's official automobile entrance, Palm Drive.

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One of the undergraduate laboratories in the Physics Department in the early 1980's involved obtaining the average weight of an air molecule. In order to do this, a device known as a differential barometer was employed. Swig Hall, being the tallest building on campus, was used as the test site. In this experiment, the student would ride the elevator in Swig Hall to the top floor, obtain the pressure there, then ride the elevator to the main floor and obtain the pressure there. This activity invariably attracted an audience. One day, a physics student was asked what she was doing. Her response was "We know there is a pot dealer on this floor and we're closing in and plan to bust the whole dorm." It is said that within minutes toilets were flushing madly throughout the building.

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Another bit of ephemera concerning Swig Hall involved the playing of the song "Catholic Girls" by the Mothers of Invention over the dorm Public Address system during finals week. Sadly, this custom has apparently been discontinued.

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