By Bob Piet
Do they exist?
So back when I was a freshman, there were always rumors of these underground tunnels that connected the entire campus. Back in University housing, I recall a few Resident Assistants (RA’s) outright denying their existence. If this was an official University Housing policy to deny their existence, I can’t be sure.
The answer is, of course: they exist; the evidence is all over the place. Walking along the sidewalks, you see the 2×4 vents, and if you look at them at the right angle, you can see right into the tunnel network. You have the random small brick buildings that when you look at them they go straight down, such as the one in Thompson Point and by Old Main adjacent to the main walkway over to East Campus. Additionally they do rupture from time to time making steam shoot out of the sidewalks or lawns like some alien planet. My favorite though, is to wait for a day when there is just a light layer of snow on the ground. The ambient heat from the steam tunnels will melt the snow and give you and instant tunnel network map. Oh, and also they mention the tunnels on their website.
Why do they exist?
