"Big Tooter" The KU Steam Whistle

Walking along Jayhawk Boulevard during the semester, it is a common occurrence to see freshmen leaping out of their shoes at the whistling of “Big Tooter.” For those not adapted to the noisy announcement of class times ending, the sound can come as quite a shock. Originally used as a morning alarm for students, on March 25, 1912 the steam whistle attached to KU’s power plant became a starter pistol for students ready to race out of classrooms across campus. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays “Big Tooter” erupts at 10 till; Tuesdays and Thursdays every hour and a half, with two off for lunch between 12:15-2:15.

What began as a 7:45 am alarm became students' best friend upon a 1912 recommendation from Chancellor Strong that classes be shortened to 50 minutes, as opposed to 55, and the whistle blow the end for each period. The following reasoning was published in the February 26, 1912 issue of the University Daily Kansan, “The whistle will do all the work. One blast of six seconds at the end of the hour and two of three seconds each at the beginning of the recitation will remove all excuse for tardiness on the part of student or instructor.” An admirable goal, though perhaps an overly optimistic one.

The idea was generally liked, passing Council approval and coming into effect on March 25, 1912. It turns out that all excuses for tardiness were not removed, and what ensued was a yearlong battle between students and faculty. Many professors would continue to lecture past the point of whistling, refusing to let their students leave the classroom. Professors who continuously participated in such delays had their names published on the University Daily Kansan's front page, an attempt to shame them into compliance. However, professors were not the only guilty party, and their complaints that the last few minutes of classes were filled mostly with wriggling in seats and impatiently looking at watches shows that perhaps naught much has changed in the last hundred or so years.

McCool, John H. n.d. “Big Tooter” KU Memorial Union. Accessed July 17, 2023.

“What time does the steam whistle go off?” n.d. KU Info. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://kuinfo.ku.edu/what-time-does-steam-whistle-go.