Sdk .d .S. S wTe ihgaSaly WdesaOcoe 1,20 0 0 0 0 Wednsday. Octber- 4,009-TeMcignDiy 7 Magazine Editor: Jessica Vosgerchian Editor in Chief: Gary Graca Managing Editor: Courtney Ratkowiak Photo Editor: Sam Wolson new rules rule 215: Don't wear a football shirt that has a pledge to stay all four quarters unless you're actually going to stay. rule 216: If you must ride your bike in the street, obey the rules of the road. Sharing The Ju Center spri C Chanel Vonr ink Drawer: goes two ways, Brian Tengel asshole. rule 217: ead design: Don't say, "We Angela Chih need to hang out over photo: soon." If that were H abs burg- Lothringen true, you wouldn't have a problem finding time to hang out. i /ihn n Tha tf n is Th i e raement isT r e Micnigan Daily's news magazine, distributed every Wednesday during the academic year. - E-mail rule submissions to TheStatement@umich.edu eminis After uncovering a box of club memorabilia, Mortar Board rediscovered its history as the University's first honor society for women ByAshlyn Gurley, Statement Staff Writer Today, mysteries are thought of as mostly fictional. But Anne Peck, a graduate stu- last year, the University's chapter of Mortar Board was pre- dent in the class of 1881, sought sented with an opportunity to learn about its origins after employment at the University after receiving an unexpected gift from former members. graduation but was turned away on Mortar Board is now a national senior honor society that account ofther gender: "Prof. Pattengill accepts men and women who excel in scholarship, leadership wrote me in 1885, 'You are undoubtedly and service. But at the turn of the 20th century, the Univer- better qualified for the position than any sity's Mortar Board was an honor society for women at the young man we shall be likely to get. At the University who had to fight for aplace ina male-dominated same time there is no chance of your getting campus. it'" Current Mortar Board members were given boxes found Other women weren't even granted the courtesy of a let- in an Ann Arbor basement containing hundreds of pages of ter, like Lillian Johnson of the class of 1891, who received meticulous meeting minutes, evolving constitutions, invita- this backhanded compliment: "At the Senior reception Prof. tions, scrapbooks and society clothing. The collection was Hudson said, 'If you were only a man I'd ask you to come a virtual time capsule that detailed a storied past of Mor- back as my assistant in History next year." tar Board and other female student organizations, one that Four female students formed Mortar Board in 1905 to help shows the struggle of women on campus. Of the founders, two were Greek and women to gain respect two were independent. To ensure fairness, they agreed that on a campus that did Greek women would only be allowed to select independent not always welcome women and independent women could only select Greek them. To promote social women. This is made most Then-University President James B. Angell supported the evident by accounts and intellectual creation of an honor society for women, according to Mortar from these female stu- Board's records of its history found in the uncovered boxes. dents at the turn of the interactThe group's purpose was to "promote social and intellectual 20th century. In 1924, as college spirit, interaction, as well as college spirit, executive ability, and a the University's Alum- sincere interest in the welfare of the women of the univer- nae Council conducted executive ability, and sity." a survey of female stu- sincere interest in the Notable Mortar Board alums include Alice Lloyd and Vera dents who had attend- Baits - namesakes of campus residence halls who held posi- ed the University since Welfare of the women tions in the University administration - University Provost 1870, when women Teresa Sullivan and Marie Hartwig, the first associate direc- were first admit- of the university. tor of athletics for women. ted. The responses Members of Mortar Board already knew much of this appeared in a brochure information about their society. But the donated archives titled "For Michigan chronicle the existence of many other women's societies that Women Everywhere," have disappeared from campus: Scroll, Senior Society, Cir- which according to "Women's Voices: Early Years cle and Wyvern. Complete records are not available for all at the University of Michigan," was used for fundraising to groups, but it appears that three of the four accepted senior build the Michigan League. women, with the exception of Wyvern, which was an hon- Of the 10,250 women surveyed, thousands responded and orary society for junior women that likely acted as a feeder painted a very different picture of campus life from what organization for Mortar Board and Senior Society. female students experience today. Sexism, unequal treat- "The senior groups all appear to have had scholastic ment and a lack of female representation on the faculty was requirements, but it appears Senior Society was more social overt and frequent. in nature, and Mortar Board has always put its heaviest "I resented the fact that we had no women on our faculty emphasis on scholarship," said David Mickey-Pabello, a past except an instructor in Art and one in physical training. I Mortar Board member and University graduate student. don't believe I'm reconciled yet to the fact that coeducation "One of the ways they heavily valued scholarship was form- is not extended to the faculty members," wrote Clementine ing Wyvern for juniors." Williams of the class of 1910. The groups also differed in their membership require- CALLING ALL STUDENT BREWERS The Michigan Daily is looking to name the best student- made beer in Ann Arbor. The contest will take place in November, so get a batch fermenting. All types of beer welcome - no mead, moonshine or hard cider. E-mail vosgerchian@michigandaily.com for details on entering. Include your name, year in school, type of beer and when you next expect to have a batch ready. COURTESY OF BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY ments, with Mortar Board a mix of Greek and independent students and Senior Society for independent women only. Not much is known about Scroll and Circle, according to Mickey-Pabello, but it is thought that Circle may have been a predecessor to Circle K. These groups recruited members by requesting letters of recommendation from dormitory mothers and then voting on candidates. A major ritual that seems to be shared among at least Senior Society and Mortar Board is the tradition of "tapping." To tap someone, a member would slip her collar and bow around the prospect's neck and hand her a scroll and invita- tion to initiation. Candidates were often caught by surprise, both because they had been recommended in confidence and because tapping occurred after lights out in the dormi- tory, usually catching new initiates in curlers and pajamas. "Permission from house mothers is required first for this, of course," advised Senior Society president Shirley Hansen in a 1947 letter. The women societies held their meetings in "The Cave," a room on the fourth floor of the League that Mortar Board records say was dedicated in 1929 as a "secret" room for cam- pus honoraries. "Of course, now 'The Cave' is a suite in the League hotel, but it's interesting that it was designated as a secret meeting room," said Mickey-Pabello. The organizations sponsored orientation and advising programs, career and leadership conferences, marriage lec- tures, chaperone services and tutoring. Female students were not allowed to attend the Univer- sity's career fair in the 1950s, so Senior Society, Scroll and Mortar Board organized a fair for women at the Michi- gan League. It was a progressive idea at a time when many believed that a woman's place is in the home. But reports on the career fair show just how far women have come. According to an 1957 article in The Michigan Daily, careers featured at the fair included airline hostessing, banking, insurance, social and civil service, publishing and See MEMENTOS, Page 8B