DE Campus Life Editor

It is a tradition for Bill McMinn to leap into the often chilly waters of Campus Lake on the first class day of each spring semester. He has been doing it for 12 years.

It also is somewhat of a tradition for David Koch to be found among the vast amount of information available at Morris Library. Working first as a graduate assistant at the library in the 1960s, Koch returned to the library in 1970 and has worked in the same department for almost 30 years.

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Monday, at the Campus Lake boat dock, the annual Polar Bear Club swim united these two SIUC staff members to promote the Feb. 25 Informational Technology Seminar at Morris Library.

So McMinn, director of the Recreation Center, plunged into Campus Lake wearing only a pair of blue sweatpants on a 40-degree day. Six fellow Polar Bear Club members jumped with him, clad only in swimming trunks.

Koch, associate dean for special collections and services at Morris Library, remained seated at a table placed on the boat dock.

I really didn’t care to jump in, he said, laughing. My web is the Internet, not anything having to do with webbed feet and swimming.

And so his table was set up with a computer monitor and a keyboard. That way, the media that were present could get shots of the hardware and the seven shivering swimmers in the same frame. He smiled as the Polar Bear Club members completed their 20-second sojourn into the lake, and all ran to the warmth of their cars and towels.

And after McMinn dried off, he made sure to remind the small group of people present of the reason why the Polar Bear Club jumps into the lake each year.

The library is what the campus is built around actually, he said. I’m glad to do anything to get students interested in what the library has to offer.

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The Polar Bear Club began in 1986 when a graduate student, taking a cue from a club in his hometown of Chicago, brought the idea to the attention of administrators as a way to promote the Recreation Center. Club members usually are Recreation Center lifeguards and other aquatic program workers.

At the time of the first Polar Bear Swim, McMinn was the Recreation Center’s director of aquatics and intramural recreation. Later, as an associate director in 1991, he decided to use the swim to benefit Morris Library .

McMinn’s job titles may have changed, but his annual decision to jump into Campus Lake never has in spite of all the last-minute impulses to change his mind.

We originally thought it was a ridiculous display of human recklessness, he said. We debate it every year, but we do it.

But Polar Bear Club member Paul Fawcett, coordinator of aquatics and sports clubs at the Recreation Center, said helping a worthy cause is what keeps everyone coming back to Campus Lake.

We try to tie it in with something worthwhile. he said. That way I can assuage my conscience as to why I keep jumping into that cold water.

And Koch is very appreciative of the Polar Bear Club’s yearly effort.

All aspects of the library are highly computerized now, and students should learn how to access that information, he said. The swim is a great way to bring attention to that.

He was also glad to be a part of the swim this year by filling in for Library Affairs Dean Carolyn Snyder. Snyder usually participates in the event but is away from campus.

But McMinn and Koch were able to participate together this year, and both men’s dedication to Morris Library is especially evident.

You lead by example, said McMinn, and this is a very good way to do that.