Prescott Deckinger | KUJH Multimedia Journalist

“Big Tooter,” the University of Kansas’s iconic steam whistle, sits on the roof of the KU power plant and has graced the University with its bellowing call for over a decade.

Students may realize the source of the whistle’s shrill emanates from the top of the power plant, but many do not realize the important operations occurring inside the plant’s walls. 

The power plant is vital to campus and has possessed many functions over its decade of use. It housed coal-burning services for nearly forty years before converting to diesel combustion in the 1950s.

Today, the plant uses high-pressure steam from electric boilers to contribute heating, water, and humidity regulation throughout campus. 

Plant supervisor Robert Mills undertakes responsibility for the smooth conduction of the plant, ensuring all buildings on campus are supplied with air conditioning and water. 

“I’m in charge of making sure everything goes according to plan,” Mills said. “If this building doesn’t run correctly, our campus won’t run correctly.”  

Without the plant’s services, campus would lose access to the modern utilities that make modern learning comfortable and enjoyable. 

While the plant works behind the scenes to power campus, the steam whistle is the star of the show on campus. Many students will never forget the first time they heard its booming signal. 

“I was walking on campus my first day here and I heard it go off. I’m from Colorado, so I thought it was a tornado siren and kind of freaked out,” Audrey Inman, sophomore at KU said. 

The steam whistle and power plant have worked in tandem to keep the university effortlessly running for over 100 years. Now, when students witness the steam exiting the whistle, they know it serves another purpose than simply signaling the end of classes.