DIAMONDS A R E A C L u B ':i(i ), \0( I \I.( l.l 11\ s B E s T Through Harding's rapid growth social clubs haYe seen man) changes and expansions, bur one tradition has remained the same: ring ceremonies. Ring ceremonies were a tradition that dated back to the 1980s at Harding. They became a special traditi0n Lo social clubs all around campu ·. \\'ich \'ery lit de difference in ring ceremonies from th<"ir origin in the 80s to present day, Harding social clubs were able Lo keep the unique custom alive. Amy Cox. assistam professor ofart, had a ring C<'rcmony of her own in 1992. Cox was the prcsidem of Ko.Jo Kai IKJK) at the time, and hn fiancc was a member or Titans. Cox said most ring rcffmonies were held in the lobby ol'thc 1rn111en's dorms and occasionally around the lily pool.\\'ich the lack of communication outlets, Cox said the,· had to check the club\ [post officel box for ring cercmon~ annuunccmcnts and put up posters around campus to spread the \\'Ord. Cox said shr 10\·rcl tlw ·'old tradition" of ring ceremonie, and hoped to see them continue at Harding for a !ong time. "There arc so man~ thing, that are different about clubs since they first staned," Cox said. ·'Ring cen."monic~ are such a simple thii1g to k('('P doing-. IL ties us Lo n"Cry other class of club nwmhers throughout Harding history.'' According co Cox, ring ceremonies were important because they brought a united joy to the cluh. Cox remembered the ,·cry first ring ceremony she went to as a freshman in KJK. She said she lo,·ed how connect<"d she felt to the upperclassmen after the ring ceremony. At a ring ceremony, the woman's engagement ring would be slipped onto a candle, then the candle would be lit. The club would pass the candle around in a circle, while singing their club song and admiring the ring. As the candle was passed around a second time, the woman F R E N D /~J' Lauren Harge/1 who had gotten engaged would blow out the candle. leccing e,·eryone knm,· the surprise. The man and his club would then enter the room, celebrating and cheering. "It's fimny because we, as freshmen, barely knew the [womanJ who got engaged,'' Cox said. "But we felt like we got to participate with her. That 1rnuld ha1·e ne\'Cr happened ifwe didn't ha,-c a ring ceremony for her." Senior Alexa Santamaria also remembered the first ring ceremony she 1,·cnt to as a fresh man in Pi Theta Phi (PTP). Santamaria and seniorj ohn Rucker. a member of Gamma Sigma Phi, had the first ring ceremony ofthe fall 2016 semester the night before school scarred. "Seeing the [woman] blow out the candle, I remember thinking 'I wish that was me. l can't wait until it's my turn,"' Santamaria said. "\\'hen I did blow [the candle] out and I hugged him, I said, 'It's our turn. It's finally our turn.' Afi:er it actually happened, I felt like W<" got engaged all 01-cr again!" Santamaria and Rucker waited a \\'eek before they told their friends at Harding about their engagement because they wanted to have a ring ceremony. They both said it 1rns extremely hard LO keep it a secret for that long, but Rucker said that it was \\'Orth it. ·'It's \\'Orth the wait in order to hm-c a ring ceremon\' because you get Lo sec all ol' your friends gee excited for you at the same time," Rucker said. ''There is something special about that." Ruckf'r described ring ceremonies as a tradition that brought community, camaraderie and devotion to the club. Santamaria agreed and added that it also brought unity lo the club. "If something bad happened in PTP. we would all come together Lo mourn and support each other," Santamaria said. "But something good happened., and we still al l came together to celebrate.'' ,1/umni ,·l/a11 and 7ara Dirkion po.1e in !he parking lot of Sears Hall fur a J;lzolo fnllol.l.'ing their ring ceremon_r i11 I 990 . R ing ceremoll)' announcements 1.1.'ere 11'/'illen on posters, like the one J;iclured above, and hung around ca111J;us. I Pltoto courteS)' of Tara Dickson Alumnae £1ngie Stipp, ·usan Duncan, Jill Smith and Rebecca Boaz celebrate the engagement rif Dun can al her :::_eta Rho ring ceremo ,~y in I 989 . R ing ceremonies ha ve brought excitement lo jOcial clubs for the /Jasl .JO _)'ears. I Photo courtesy of 1\/arsha Vaughn Seniors John Rucke, and .-lle.w Santamaria show off Santamaria ·s engagement ring 011 the candle from !heir ring ceremo,~v in the David B. Burks American Heritage Building lobby 011 Aug. 21 . Rucker U'as in Gamma Sigma Phi and Santamaria was in Pi The/a Phi. I Photo b)' lia;::u Fujisa1,•a
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