Dorothy: “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Delco anymore.”
Toto: “That’s because we’re in Kansas.”
In a reversal of the plot device used in the classic 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, a box of tee shirts meant for Neumann University in Aston landed on the desk of a befuddled staffer at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas.
According to Newman’s Stacy Fowler, “I just opened a package that we received about 2 weeks ago. I opened it because there was not a person's name listed and so I needed to know what was in the box. I didn't realize that it was for your University. It is addressed to Neumann University, with our address. (We are Newman University located in Wichita, Ks.) It's a box full of t-shirts that say 60,000 Hours of Service, 60 Years."
What’s NU? immediately launched an investigation to determine how such meticulous planning for Charter Day could have gone south (or west) so quickly.
Megan Camp confirmed that, indeed, there was “a box of missing shirts” on Charter Day but could not recall whether any volunteers at the event were left shirtless.
“I believe they may be the 3x shirts we are missing,” mused Judi Stanaitis, adding a worrisome detail to the mystery. Delco’s Midwest brethren must consider their East Coast colleagues to be very large people if they need only XXX shirts.
Newman University is a small Catholic college, named after St. John Henry Newman. It was founded by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in 1933. Its fall 2025 enrollment was 2,787.
According to its website, service is the core of the university’s mission: “Today, Newman is dedicated to helping its diverse student population “fill the need” in a multitude of service opportunities and career paths while providing a holistic, liberal arts education as articulated by its namesake in The Idea of the University.“
Editor’s Note: This article is not a belated April Fool’s Day story. It is based on factual information, and all sources (except Dorothy and Toto) are quoted accurately.