At this time of year, most first-year students have settled into their new surroundings. Gone are the stresses of unpacking, meeting hall-mates and navigating unfamiliar territory. Life has grown easier as students have become accustomed to their new environment. But for a certain group of first years, a true sigh of relief may not come until Nov. 1. If they're alive, that is.
Soon after first years' arrival on Grounds, word of mouth forewarns Lefevre residents of a prophecy supposedly attributed to Nostradamus, the 16th-century French prophet.
The rumor claims that on Halloween night by the turn of the millennium, at a University established by a founding father, in a building shaped like the first letter of its name that stands next to a cemetery, everyone will die.
Call it the H2K bug.
For those unfamiliar with the Old Dorm residence area, this prophecy points specifically to Lefevre and its 151 residents, who live next to the University Cemetery. And thanks to Lefevre's adjoining neighbor Metcalf, the building does indeed form an "L" shape.
Some variations of the rumor predict mass murders that night, while others say the impending doom applies only to the first floor of the building.
"I heard that it was all made up," said Becky Coffman, a first-year Nursing student and Lefevre resident. "I don't think anything will happen."
Indeed, a thorough searching of Nostradamus' "Centuries," the prophet's major work, reveals no prediction of this sort. Rather, the majority of Nostradamus' predictions concern European affairs or armageddon.
Despite this severe lack of concrete evidence, however, some Lefevre residents, such as first-year College student Sole Salvo, are still scared.
"I'm incredibly superstitious, and things like this really bother me," Salvo admitted.
Other residents share her sentiments - some already have made arrangements to spend the night out.
No one seems to know exactly how long this myth has been passed on or with whom it started. Graduate College student Denis McNamara, the Lefevre/Metcalf graduate advisor and four-year Metcalf resident, recalled having heard the myth when he first took up residence in the building.
"Things get added to it every year," he said. For example, the addition of the L-shaped building part of the prophecy as well as its attribution to Nostradamus show how what McNamara calls the "urban legend" has evolved over the years.
Students who live outside Lefevre think the prophecy is over-hyped.
"That's pretty extreme to get that worked up over something that was written so long ago," said Balz resident Meaghan Anderson, a first-year Nursing student.
Some Lefevre residents, although skeptical about the prophecy, are worried that someone else will take its fulfillment into their own hands.
"It seems as if people in Lefevre are taking the rumor seriously, and personally, I wouldn't want to be here to see some insane guy make the rumor come true," said Jon Unger, a Lefevre resident and first-year College student.
All Lefevre residents seem to share at least one common emotion over the issue: curiosity.
"Yeah I'll be here," said Chris Savoie, a first-year Engineering student and Lefevre resident. "I don't really think I'm gonna die but I want to see what happens. Prophecies have a way of fulfilling themselves."
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