Feature photo by Siri Reynolds
Story by Siri Reynolds
MTSU’s campus has a storied past, and most students are familiar with at least two classic legends: avoiding the seal outside the James E. Walker Library and cementing relationships with a kiss on the steps of Kirksey Old Main.
One myth says students who step on the seal outside the library are cursed not to graduate in the standard four years.
“I wouldn’t step on it,” freshman Noemi Flores said. “I wouldn’t even get near it, because…if they say you’re not gonna graduate if you step on it, I’m not gonna do it.”
The myth is commonly shared by MTSU tour guides and freshman orientation events like CUSTOMS.
“I’m not gonna risk it,” freshman Nya Elmour said.
All hope is not lost for those who step on the seal, as the curse is not necessarily limited to an extra semester.
“They didn’t say that it would be five [years]… it could be three, but I just personally don’t want to take any chances, so I keep very far away from the seal,” Blue Elite tour guide Ella Cobb said.
Remedies for this curse exist, the most common being to run to the blue horseshoe statue in Walnut Grove, located in front of Peck Hall, in under 60 seconds. However, this is no easy feat.
“If you can run to the horseshoe in less than 60 seconds from the seal, then I think you should go ahead and try out for the Olympics,” Cobb said.
Thankfully for non-Olympians, the horseshoe may not be the only cure to the curse.
“I recently heard somebody say that…you can break the curse at midnight on a full moon by moonwalking on it barefoot,” Cobb said, although she doubts the validity of that claim. “I don’t bring that one up [on tours], but I think it’s funny when I hear it.”
Even for students who choose an alternative way to break the seal’s curse–or avoid it entirely–the horseshoe is still considered good luck. Buried underneath the horseshoe is a heads-up penny from 1911, the year the university was founded.
Although the seal can bring danger, a second legend promises romance.
Built in 1910, Kirksey Old Main is the oldest building on campus, and the story that those who kiss on the steps will stay together forever persisted since MTSU’s earliest days. However, this decision may have consequences.
“Back then nobody was allowed in each others’ dorms at all, so the couples would meet on the steps and they would kiss,” Cobb said. “Legend says that they would stay together forever, but that doesn’t mean it’s a happy forever.”
When asked if they would try it, Flores and Elmour were less certain of this myth’s validity.
Kirksey Old Main is currently going through a major renovation project, but lovers need not despair: MTSU News & Media Relations Senior Director Jimmy Hart confirmed in an email the original steps of the KOM would remain intact.
The steps are currently fenced off, and couples will have to wait until summer 2026 to return. However, for people with cold feet, this is the perfect opportunity to avoid commitment.
“If you have commitment issues, or just don’t want to go all the way, you can always go kiss on the steps of the…James Union Building,” Cobb said.
Although both of these legends may not be completely true, students seem to take them very seriously.
“We’re a very superstitious campus,” Cobb said. “Whether you believe in it or not, it’s just a lot of fun.”
Siri Reynolds is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
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