A degree of love

Romance is in the air.\nAs the leaves fall, couples around campus can be seen taking in the tranquility of IU. Ranked as the fifth most beautiful campus in the nation by author Thomas Gaines, IU's picturesque 2,000-acre property has been a place of romance for many students throughout the years. \nA couple sitting together by the bronze statue of Herman B Wells (known as the Herman B Wells Plaza) talked quietly near the pink roses and autumn trees. \n"The sunshine and the outdoorsy feel make this place special for us," graduate student Lee Gernon said, sitting next to her boyfriend, IU Outdoor Adventure Director Doug Lakin. \n"The trees give it a really pleasant feel too," Lakin said.\nIn fact, throughout the years, one of the guiding principles behind the design of Bloomington's campus has been to maintain that wooded feeling, and it is apparent in every park and walkway on campus, said IU history and philosophy of science professor Jim Capshew. \nCapshew, an instructor for the IU Traditions and Culture class and an expert on campus history, said the scenery at IU is a unique asset to the community.\n"It is very unusual to find a woodland area on a campus," Capshew said. "IU has a very strong tradition of maintaining that forested and natural feel throughout the years."\nAccording to popular belief, Dunn's Woods used to be known as a place for lovers to meet secretly at night.\nDunn's Woods has been a meeting place since the 1840s and 1850s between students, according to IU archives.\nAnother common love legend is traced back to the Rose Well House located at the original heart of campus. As an IU landmark, this site has seen its fair share of romance. \nWith its arches made from former IU buildings that burned down in the late 1800s, legend once claimed a woman must kiss someone at the stroke of midnight to truly cross the threshold into college life. The kiss is supposed to last until the bell tower strikes 12.\nA more recent legend, according to the IU archives, is that any couple that kisses underneath the Rose Well House gazebo is bound to be married. This legend stems from a Beta Theta Pi fraternity tradition. Fraternity members used to pin their girlfriends or propose underneath the dome.\nThe romantic tradition of kissing at the Rose Well House, which was built in 1908 to represent the Beta pin, is highly anticipated on Valentine's Day as couples line up outside for that inevitable kiss.\nAnother romantic site on campus is Beck Chapel, an all-faiths sanctuary where many of Indiana University's alumni come back to marry. \nBuilt in 1957, it hosts several weddings each year. Many of the ceremonies are between students who met during their time at IU.\nIn a lesser known site there rests a landmark for Mathilda and Otto Klopsch. The Klopschs chose to have their remains left at a sundial next to the newly renovated Maxwell Hall, where they fell in love years ago.\nThe inscription on the ground tells their story: "They met at this very sundial when they were classmates. Their ashes rest here together until eternity."\nThe beauty on IU's campus, as explained by Capshew, has allowed students to maintain an appreciation for their surroundings, as well as the people around them.\n"Most people take the kind of scenery that Bloomington has for granted, but students must learn that they are not only learning from academics, but from their surroundings as well," Capshew said. "There is much more to academics than just classes, it is also the surrounding you live in and the people you live with. IU's scenery takes a big part in that learning experience."\nAnd students say IU's serene landscape fosters an environment to help people fall in love here on campus.\n"This place gives off a sort of enchantment," sophomore Ejiro Isiorho said. "It still has that old campus feel, and in such a magical place like IU, magical things are bound to happen."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsey Novak at lbnovak@indiana.edu.