RETURN TO VICTORY Traditions were an important element of university life. Whether they were quirky or meaningful, they unified faculty and staff, students and alumni. For Harding, Spring Sing was one of those traditions. For the first time since 2003, men's social club Chi Sigma Alpha and women's social club Regina, joined by women's social clubs Sigma Phi Mu and OEGE, left the stage as victors. Their show "Resistance is Feudal" won the John H. Ryan Sweepstakes, the highest award. A combination of elements including costumes, choreography and props was required to impress the Spring Sing judges. According to junior Chi Sigs Spring Sing director Clayton Seaman, the most memorable aspect was the giant papier-mache dragon that appeared at the end of their show. The dragon arrived in Searcy just in time for the show. The massive prop required six people to operate it during performances on stage. "Everyone in the audience and every member of the cast will have their own 'wow factor' that they took away from the show,'' Seaman said. "For me, it was seeing the dragon come to life on stage. It had a presence on stage that will be hard to match by future shows." The 15-foot-tall monster was moved to Searcy in five pieces all the way from Newnan, Ga., where senior Regina member Victoria Mcintosh created it with her family. Members of the "Resistance is Feudal" show looked forward to the dragon all semester and were impressed with its construction. "We were all so excited to see [the dragon] because our directors had been telling us all semester about what it would look like," senior show member Jill Baber said. "The dragon ended up exceeding our expectations, and we all thought it was really unique." While some clubs had long been Spring Sing participants, other clubs were new to the festivities. For Sigma Phi Mu, a club created in 2012, the 2013 show was its first Spring Sing experience. Joining with Chi Sigma Alpha, OEGE and Regina, they also won their first sweepstakes. Junior Sigma Phi Mu Spring Sing director Megan Read said she did not let the novelty of the experience affect her too much. "My excitement for getting to help and be a part of Sig Phi's first show far outweighed my worry," Read said. "I knew that being new we had to come in with a bang and leave an impression." It was a big year for "Resistance is Feudal." As the winners, the clubs were able to present their $2,000 award to Searcy Children's Home. The show members had $3,000 of their Spring Sing budget left over after the show. According to senior Regina Spring Sing director Sabrina Cole, they could have done anything with this money- paid for functions or future dues - but instead, they added it to their contribution to Searcy Children's Home. Chi Sigma Alpha, Regina, Sigma Phi Mu and OEGE proved that they were formidable Spring Sing participants, but they also demonstrated what Spring Sing was all about: having fun, creating relationships and giving back to the community. Jared Dryden
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