The word on the street isn't about war, famine or midterms. These days, students are talking about Chuck Norris.

Yes, Chuck Norris.

Many Penn Staters said the craze of fictional feats and exaggerated characteristics about the Walker, Texas Ranger star began brewing last semester, not only giving Norris the reputation of a deadly roundhouse kick but of pop culture's new cult icon.

"Walker was the greatest show in American history," Ryan Trott (freshman-accounting) said. "The theme song and the roundhouse kicking -- you can't beat that."

Students said they hear the outlandish facts about Norris through outlets like The Facebook, Google searches and instant messaging -- then the facts make their way around campus.

For Trott, Norris' new popularity was overdue, but even if all students don't agree, the random facts are certainly having quite an impact on and off campus. "Any time someone brings one fact up, for the next 20 minutes people within earshot just join the conversation," Trott said. "Even people I don't know."

Students said their first tastes of Chuck Norris education came recently; it then spread quickly and blew up in a big way. "I think the buzz started getting around last semester," Ryan O'Donnell (senior-recreation management) said. "Just hanging around a bunch of guys, they always say stupid stuff, so this was perfect."

There may not be a true answer to why this Internet, instant messaging and profile fad has been, for some, growing to the level of obsession, but O'Donnell said all that matters is that he was able to find his true American icon. "It's somebody to look up to," he said, "in a very awkward way."

Dan Herman (senior-supply chain and information systems) said he and his friends have also joined the Chuck wagon, even if the karate guru is no longer in his prime.

"Because [the facts] are so random, they're funny," Herman said. "If we're just sitting around and we want a good laugh, someone will bring it up."

Some students like O'Donnell and Trott said Chuck mania may have begun a few years ago on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The show received permission to show footage of Walker, Texas Ranger, so every time O'Brien pulled on a lever next to his desk, a segment featuring Norris appeared for the audience's amusement. "The clips on Conan were absurd. You just watch and wonder what the hell [Norris] was thinking," O'Donnell said. "In one clip, Walker was in a field with a man. He bends down, tastes a handful of dirt, spits it out and said, 'A plane crashed here.' "

So, is this fad going to last?

Melanie Edelman (freshman-theatre) said she thinks it will. "It will definitely be here for a while, because the characters will change," Edelman said.

Edelman said she's even started doing the same thing with other shows, such as 24, starring Jack Bauer.

"The other night, I saw a Web site about the show. I went crazy and read all [of Bauer's ridiculous facts]."

Still, not all students said they believe Chuck Norris facts will be around much longer. O'Donnell, for example, said this may simply be a trend that pop culture is going through, and by the summer, people will forget all about Sidekicks star and his random facts. "I think it is a little fad that's probably going to wilt away, but he could roundhouse his way into our hearts again," he said.