54 Social Clubs Belles and Beaux Harding social clubs honor students with unique jerseying surprises. Every semester, Harding’s men’s and women’s social clubs surprised new honorary members. This tradition of honoring students as beaux and queens (or belles) often involved unexpected jerseying moments when a student was symbolically added into a club’s brotherhood or sisterhood. Though these moments typically happened in familiar places like outside of dorms, the library or even at Sonic, the fall 2024 semester brought a few especially unique and unforgettable stories. Sophomore Mark Roberts’ beauing moment took place in an unusual location—Allen Hall. With Allen being an all male dorm, members of women’s social club Zeta Rho decided to seize the opportunity of an opendorm night to gather outside his door and surprise him. “I was so shocked,” Roberts said. “I didn’t think it was possible to happen in Allen.” The role of a Zeta Rho beau was not one he took lightly. “What a privilege it is to be surrounded by a group that will bring me closer to God,” Roberts said. “I can’t put into words how grateful and thankful I am for this opportunity.” Sophomore Sara Crooks’ belle moment also took her by surprise, happening at an even more unexpected time. Sara was belled right after chapel on a Wednesday morning, which broke the usual nighttime tradition. She had just jerseyed her friend for women’s social club Phi Kappa Delta moments earlier, completely unaware that men’s social club Theta had gathered nearby. “I had my back turned talking to our new beau and other friends when I heard screaming behind me,” Crooks said. “I turned around out of pure fear while my longtime friend, Aaron Robinson, threw his Theta jersey on me and missed the first time, which was hilarious.” With both clubs celebrating in a span of five minutes, Crooks felt overwhelmed with encouragement. “It was such a fun surprise for a random Wednesday morning,” Crooks said. “It was amazing to have all of my friends in both Theta and Phi Kappa Delta there to experience this sweet moment with me. I am so thankful for all of them.” For junior Grayson Thomas, the beauing surprise came at an especially unexpected time, right after getting off an airplane. “The day I got beaued, I was at one of the presidential receptions at Top Golf in Rogers, Arkansas,” Thomas said. As the evening event wound down, a fellow student ambassador received a message from Elizabeth Brown, notifying him that women’s social club Ju Go Ju had planned to surprise him. Later that night, when they returned to the Searcy Regional Airport at 11 p.m., Thomas suspected nothing as Vice President of Admissions Steve Lake asked him to help move a car in the hangar garage. “I followed him to the hangar garage door, expecting to see a car when the jersey was thrown over my head,” Thomas said. “I had no idea it was happening until the jersey was around my neck. It honestly scared me at first.” His friends celebrated by taking him for a late-night Taco Bell run, wrapping up what Thomas called “one of the best days of [his] Harding experience.” These surprises served as a reminder of the bonds and shared faith that made Harding’s social clubs special. Whether in the middle of a dorm hallway, after chapel or at the airport, these jerseying moments brought joy and connection, creating memories that honored Christ and Harding’s innate sense of community. Written by Aja Griffin SAVED BY THE BELLE Surrounded by friends and fellow club members, sophomore Sara Crooks hugs sophomore Kyle Nieman after both were surprised with their jerseys after chapel. The pair shared the excitement of being honored by their respective social clubs. Photo courtesy of Tucker Allen
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==