Every freshman at Stevens hears the same whispered warning during their first semester:
“Don’t anger the Torch Bearer.”
At first, it sounds like a joke — another harmless Stevens tradition, like complaining about the dining hall or pretending you understand thermodynamics. But then someone mentions the ritual. The one no one talks about in official tours, the one passed down through panicked group chats and late-night dorm whispers.
If you slap the Torch Bearer’s butt, you get good luck.
If you don’t… Well, let’s just say the semester won’t be kind to you.
According to legend, the statue’s glow isn’t from the torch — it’s from the souls of students who failed to show their “respect.” They say the first student who forgot the ritual failed every exam, lost their DuckCard, and had their 3D print jam at 99%. Another supposedly got stuck in the Babbio elevators for three hours… on a Monday morning.
Some upperclassmen claim the curse began decades ago, when a group of overconfident freshmen mocked the statue. The next day, half their friend group mysteriously transferred to NJIT and Rutgers. The rest? They were never seen in Pierce again.
Over time, the ritual became a weird form of “freshman hazing.” You’d see a group of students creeping toward the statue at midnight, one brave soul whispering, “For good grades,” before smacking the bronze behind and running for their lives.
Of course, the administration denies everything. “There is no such superstition,” one official said (while subtly side-eyeing the statue). But every year, during midterms, someone swears they hear metallic footsteps echoing near Howe. The sound of a bronze figure … walking.
So if you’re new here, take this as your warning. When you pass the Torch Bearer, don’t look too long into its hollow eyes. Don’t study nearby after midnight. And whatever you do — Don’t forget the slap.
Because at Stevens, luck doesn’t come free … it demands tribute.
