Next time you walk around the Kesler Student Activity Center or the Hodson Dining Commons, look up at the traffic cones in Bergwall Hall.
Every floor and wing on campus has its own unique culture. Traditions such as Melon and Gourd or the Swunger Games characterize some, while others, such as Broho, are known for having a distinct personality. Second Berg, or Sigma Beta, is known for their traffic cones.
“So Second Berg, notably, has a lot of traffic cones; they’re pretty well known for that around campus,” Joey Foos, Bergwall’s hall director, said. “Strange thing to be known for, right? But the nature of where the cones came from is a little dubious, with from what I’m aware most of the cones being donated as part of a Silent Night prop a few years back.”
While most of the cones were donated, this was not the case for all of them. Sigma Beta was in possession of a number of cones that had the letters IWU, for Indiana Wesleyan University, spray-painted on them.
These IWU cones had been stolen from Indiana Wesleyan University over the last several years. A large amount had been taken during this past fall semester.
“Some guys on our floor, who I won’t name, would just go down and, obviously any of the cones they would take wouldn’t be ones that were actively being used,” Logan Kroll, a resident of Sigma Beta, said. “It started off with just a couple (cones), I believe like 10 or 15 or so, with the first group of guys that went and then there was another trip, and they got a bunch more.”
Previous smaller trips may have flown under the radar, but a high quantity of cones being stolen at once seemed to raise some red flags, Mike Spaulding, Taylor police chief said. During the fall semester IWU contacted Taylor and requested the cones be returned.
“In the fall, I received a call from the Indiana Wesleyan University Police Chief, who stated he had video of several people stealing numerous cones from IWU property,” Spaulding said. “He provided me with a license plate which returned to a Taylor student in Bergwall. Officers went to Bergwall and located 30 cones all labeled with IWU in a hallway. Those cones were returned to IWU.”
Following the cones' return, Sigma Beta refrained from their previous actions, Foos said. Nevertheless, there was an incident where the cones were once again seized due to concerns surrounding how they made the university look.
“There was a few incidents where cones were stolen,” Foos said. “I think this led some to believe that all the cones were stolen, and since those were displayed publicly in the window, I think there was an attempt to remove and recover stolen property that was on display.”
Eventually the cones were returned, under the condition that they be painted. This would ensure floor relics would not be mistaken for stolen property.
In order to paint the cones, Sigma Beta initiated a Bro-Sis event, inviting 1st and 3rd Berg to join them.
“We had a Bro-Sis event where everyone can just grab a cone, or have a group of people and a cone, and just paint some cones,” Kroll said. “It ended up turning out really fun. It was honestly one of our most-attended floor events for our guys, which Second Berg, we have a lot of different little sports teams and different little cliques. So when we have an event that can really bring everyone together, I feel like it’s very very awesome.”
For the future, Sigma Beta seems to have found a new hobby. They have put cone-nabbing in the past and are excited to expand their new traditions of painting and decorating cones.
