Need-to-Know Wednesday Presents: Myths Vs. Facts about Marist College

Hello, friends. And a special hello to you, Marist College. Are you excited about Friday? We are. We’re really looking forward to matching up with you guys. It should be a really great time. All of us here in Kentucky are looking forward to spending that magical evening with you. Bring a camera.

As we all saw on Monday, this Cats team is rolling. And with any luck, this rolling will continue into this weekend, when UK faces off against the mighty men’s basketball team of Marist College. Since Marist is a new face on the Kentucky schedule, we thought this might be a good opportunity to take a look at the school and clear up any mistaken and preconceived notions existing about this Poughkeepsie stalwart. We ourselves were surprised that some of what we thought we knew about Marist to be incorrect, which spurred the following research in which we’ll stack up the facts against the myths and see what’s true (and what’s not) about the MAAC denizens. So let’s get to the bottom of Myths Vs. Facts about Marist College, shall we? We shall. Oh, and happy Wednesday.

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FACT: Marist College was founded in 1816 by the Marist Brothers, a French Catholic society. The special order, of which there today remain over 3,700 international members, dedicate their lives to the education of the young, social work and youth missionary programs around the globe.

MYTH: “Super Marist Brothers” was not a popular video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Systems in 1985. There is on record, however, a tale of Marist Brother Linus Foy — for whom a set of buildings on campus are named — killing a large turtle.

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FACT: 45% of Marist College’s student body lives off-campus and commutes into the school every day. The surrounding area of Poughkeepsie, New York is very active with a vibrant arts and shopping community and several minor-league sports teams, and in 2011 was named by BizJournals.com as the 24th best city in the United States to grow a small business.

MYTH: The other 55% of Marist College students do not live in an elaborate system of underground tunnels and caves, emerging into the sunlight only to attend classes. The school in fact has many well-appointed dormitories, housing facilities and townhouses which very comfortably suit students and are suited to equip any modern conveniences.

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FACT: Marist College offers 43 undergraduate degrees across several programs. As a liberal arts college, students must complete a core of liberal arts studies often including history, English, philosophy and cultural studies.

MYTH: Marist College did not once award a Bachelor of Sciences degree in environmental policy to a dog who was wearing glasses. Upon further review, though the dog attended many of the core classes and several within its major, it did not complete the series of capstone courses required for graduation. Also, the glasses were discovered to be fake.

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FACT: Retired Indiana Pacer center Rik Smits was drafted to the NBA from Marist College in 1988. Known as the “Dunkin’ Dutchman,” the Holland-born Smits was an seven-foot four-inch NBA All-Rookie First Team member and netted 12,781 points during his twelve seasons of play with the team.

MYTH: The ghost of Rik Smits does not haunt the computer and copy center of Marist College’s Donnelly Hall, mischeviously placing things out of reach on high shelves. Smits is very much alive and enjoying his retirement from the NBA with his wife Candace and their two children and does not appreciate references to his premature demise and/or the purported activities of his paranormal afterlife. He enjoys collecting and racing vintage motorcycles.

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FACT: The Marist College basketball teams goes by the moniker “The Red Foxes.” This is perhaps due to the prevalence of the animal in the hills and forests of upstate New York, and red foxes are believed to exist in nearly every county of the state.

MYTH: The Marist College basketball team does not go by the moniker “The Redd Foxxes.” Though the racy 1970’s comic’s particular style of comedy was likely very popular in the halls and dorms of the school during that era, Foxx has no official connection to the school. The Lamont Sanford Tennis Pavilion, however, remains currently an oft-frequented destination for many of the university’s students, as does the Aunt Esther Center for Economic Studies.