After a year-long absence, the pumpkins that perched on the top of the clock tower have been restored to their former glory, but the courageous students who placed the pumpkins on the tower could face some serious consequences.
There are few traditions that remain intact here at Plymouth State University. Students rejoice in seeing Leroy, the squirrel with no tail, and they enjoy annual events like Homecoming and Spring Fling, but nothing brings smiles to student faces more than seeing pumpkins perched on the top of the Rounds Hall clock tower in October. The pumpkins on the clock tower are one of PSU’s longest running traditions. They have been there as long as many professors can remember, and to this day, it is a mystery as to how they really get up to the top.
Last year, PSU administration banned the tradition and declared that no more pumpkins could be placed atop the tower. Last year, the ban held true, and there were no pumpkins perched for everyone to see. This year, to the surprise of the campus, the pumpkins were spotted Fri., Oct. 16.
The students placing the pumpkins were caught in the act at 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 15. Chief Doyle said that a town police officer spotted the students first, and notified UPD officer Steven Hersom. The two officers investigated and “found two students lying on the roof ledge and ordered them down. Two accomplices were located on the ground nearby. Four PSU students, one who lives off-campus and three who reside on campus, were apprehended on the scene and admitted that they had climbed the exterior of Rounds and mounted two pumpkins on the top.”
These students had their climbing gear confiscated and were then released. However, the students still face a judicial summons and disciplinary action from the Office of Judicial Programs. To many students, the identities of the pumpkin perchers are still a mystery. Another mystery that still needs solving is how they got the pumpkins up there in the first place. In previous years, access was allowed to the clock tower door, making it much easier to get the pumpkins up there. Now, that method is impossible due to the ban.
The only clues as to how the students got it done is the climbing gear, and the webbing that was left behind, still on the pumpkins. The webbing can only be seen if images are magnified, but it is there. The question remains, how did the students manage to stay on the roof long enough to get the pumpkins up on the tower, and how they got up high enough to physically place the pumpkins up there.
Whatever the case, the tradition remains intact at PSU for another year, as well as the broad smiles that it brings.