Dean Raters on Chapel Sing
I sat down this afternoon with Dean Raters for an interview. Below are the excerpts pertaining to Chapel Sing this year. I’ll make no commentary for now. You can judge this for yourself.
Rovenstine: Could you comment on Chapel Sing? I’ve heard a lot of rumors about changes this year.
Raters: To my knowledge, there aren’t changes. What I’ve discussed with the Sphinx Club is, do you know why you do what you do, and, more significantly, does everybody else know why you do what you do, and is what you do legal, is it gentlemanly, does it need to be…which is of the tradition, which is to have every Wabash man who would like to participate in this tradition, learn our song, learn the words, so that as they progress, and they stand and sing the song, and they look around and see the ninety-year-old alumnus doing so that they — you’ve got a common bond there, a common experience. And I think the Spinx Club is, I know the Sphinx Club is going to be — to emphasize with greater clarity, what this is, why we do it, that sort of thing.
Rovenstine: I was told that they were going to be getting new shirts or something, after the W’s were sprayed on them. To your knowledge, that’s not true?
Raters: Um…Well, I can tell you that’s not a mandate. I mean, I’ve heard that idea as well. We’ll see what the guys decide to do there. I think that — well, I know as that was being discussed, the concern was, again: do the students understand that the “W” is a tally sheet that helps as part of the chaos of the event, it helps the guys in the Sphinx Club to better monitor who did well and who didn’t and who’s the winner. And at the same time, make certain that all the students understand that this is sort of a rite of passage event — positive event, that it is to be an uplifting event that they’ve gone through, and something again that most Wabash men have, and it is in keeping with everything that we do. It’s a gentlemanly event, it demonstrates responsible citizenry, and so on.
Rovenstine: Did anything spur these discussions [with the Sphinx Club], or was it just in general the events of last year?
Raters: No, I think we always have — we’re always having discussions, as you’ve heard me say from time to time. You either get better, or you get worse, you don’t say the same. We’re always trying to get better. So I had the same sort of conversation with the leadership last year, Dean Bambrey’s had those conversations with the Sphinx Club leadership every year since I’ve been here when I was Associate Dean. I think it’s — when I talked with the guys, the Sphinx Club members especially, it’s similar to approaches to all matters at Wabash. All the time? You know, sure, during last year’s tension, we’re foolish if we don’t reexamine what we’re doing, and so I think the Sphinx Club has reexamined what we’re doing. Are we intentional enough and clear enough. On Thursday we’ll find out if I’ve got to make sure that — do I have to be more intentional to make sure that either a group of students or individual students here and there need a better understanding to reach that higher expectation that we make pretty darn clear.
From later in the interview:
It’s one of those examples of guys having an opportunity to learn the concept of time and tradition. You know, the Chapel Sing I’ll see on Thursday will be similar but a whole lot different from the one I participated in, very different from the one that Dean Bambrey participated in as well. Similar but quite different from the one a student here five years ago participated in. It is an evolutionary event, but one where we need to again, as I mentioned in my note to the community (you can use that if you like as well), “at all times” includes homecoming week, it includes Chapel Sing. And it includes preparation for Chapel Sing, so we all need to understand that. Sometimes we don’t.
Rovenstine: I just don’t want the W’s to go away. You know, I hated Chapel Sing until I didn’t get a W, and then it was the greatest thing in my life. I wore that white t-shirt all day, and it was like forty degrees out.
Raters: Ha, ha. Well, there you go. The potential problem is, that you got a W, and now, are you crushed? Are you ridiculed? And, more specifically, are you, even with the W, are you made to feel like you did something from a positive perspective? And I do think that’s where the Sphinx Club is going to be more intentional on Thursday. And I do hope so. Because, again, the positive rite of passage is the best thing we’ve got going.
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