Tunnels under BYU Campus

We've all heard the rumors about mysterious caverns hidden around campus.  Are they there for protection in case of a nuclear holocaust?  Perhaps they are designed to allow campus personnel to travel great distances with little hassle?  Or maybe they have some other, more sinister purpose.  This seemed exactly the type of thing Y Secrets should be reporting on.

We found some good news and some bad news.  The good news is there really are tunnels.  The bad news is they are used mainly for pipes, wires, and other basic utilities- and students are not allowed down.

Si Min investigated the matter further, and this is what he found:

"First, BYU relies on steam and hot water for its entire heating system. Well over 100 buildings are heated from one central building (the Phys Plant) whose smoke stack is noticeable from quite a distance. These pipes run through tunnels which run under the sidewalks on campus. This explains why BYU is the only place in Utah County which has very few cracks in the sidewalks. The heat from the pipes keeps the sidewalks from freezing in the winter. This in turn attracts the skateboarders and rollerbladers who are forbidden from campus.

The real problem with getting down and exploring these tunnels is that they are still in use today and the campus police are serious about keeping people out. Rumours still persists of people who have figured out how to get down there, but no one knows anybody personally."

So it would seem that our mystery is solved, but is this information too convenient to be the truth?  We will leave that for our readers to decide.

Underground Aquariums

As part of BYU's College of Life Sciences, there are 15 live aquariums in the basement of the Widtsoe building.  They are built into the walls, and anyone who would like can wander down there and peek around.  Some of the aquariums are empty, (or the fish are very good at hiding) but with 15 tanks there are still quite a few interesting things to look at.  If you finding that you sit by the same certain someone every class period, but aren't sure how to expand your relationship, this is the sort of place that is easy to invite them to go and check out with you.  It's close by, unitimidating, too public for NCMO, but private enough to have a good conversation.  Plus there's all sorts of crazy fish.

Hot Air for a Cool Night

Many freshmen who live on-campus (as well as many students in 3-is-a-crowd roommate situations) find themselves in need of a warm place to go at night --for various reasons-- especially as the weather cools off.  There are, I am sure, many places that could work for these desired late-night activities, but when I was a freshman I found the random campus vents to serve particularly well.

There are a number of these vents littered across campus, they apparently have something to do with the heating system.  The good news is that they spew out warm air all night long, and most any decent sized building has one or more.  Some of these vents are well enough hidden from public view for a "late-night philosophical discussion," or however you like to spend time alone with the opposite sex.  The bad news is occasionally they carry distinctive smells from the heating system, or whatever has fallen into them.

This may be a good time to remind the reader that we here at Y Secrets encourage all students to follow the Honor Code.  (but anything less than that is fair game)