Chat with the Chancellor

University Chancellor Ken Gros Louis has served many roles on campus. However, Monday he was most notable for his in-depth knowledge of the University’s past and present.

As students sat in a circle, upright and eager, they listened to some nuggets of IU’s past. The fireside discussion took place in the Hutton Honors College and correlated with Founder’s Day. The chat varied with topics from Herman B Wells’ fondness of vodka to a tradition of IU students smoking “peace pipes.” Gros Louis also reminisced about a tradition at football games between medical students in white lab coats and law students in black judges’ robes.

Gros Louis also talked about IU’s increase in philanthropic work in the 1990s as well as his disapproval of campus outsourcing to companies like Barnes & Noble.

During the discussion, many students were surprised to hear that Gros Louis is, in fact, one-quarter Huron Indian.

He used to joke to the faculty, “If things go wrong, I could always go back to the reservation,” Gros Louis said.

Much of the discussion included aspects of Herman B Wells’ life.

“You can’t talk about IU’s history without really talking about Herman B Wells,” Gros Louis said.

Students initially took a brief quiz on IU trivia. After the event ended, Gros Louis issued a tie-breaker question. The question, “When were the Sample Gates constructed?” was answered correctly by freshman John Brown.

“I love the oral history of IU,” Brown said, “especially the people who knew Herman B Wells.”

And Gros Louis does. In fact, his office is the same office Wells used years ago. Gros Louis has kept the room similar to when Wells used it.

The small group of students each talked about their favorite places on campus and questioned Gros Louis on various things they saw as IU trademarks.

Gros Louis also shed some light on the death of Wells.

“He asked former IU President Myles Brand if there was anything else he could do for the University. Brand replied, ‘No, you have done enough.’ That night Wells died,” Gros Louis said. “That just shows what kind of a man he was.”