The XXXI was founded in 1989 as an exclusive honor society to recognize extraordinary women across campus.

According to Kristy Reynolds, now a marketing professor and one of the original founders, the organization started in response to some of the “male only” organizations that had been founded around campus.

“There was no female honorary, so we thought we needed one,” Reynolds said.

Early on, the society faced resistance from faculty and fellow students due to its female-only status, Reynolds said. However, there were many professors who encouraged them not to quit.

“Some people thought we were crazy,” Reynolds said.

The University was founded in 1831, which is where Reynolds said the idea for the name came from, and the Roman numerals were used to convey a certain image.

“We thought it would be interesting to do something number related,” Reynolds said. “Roman numerals conveyed something that was very serious and important.”

Reynolds said that they really wanted the organization to continue, and it is amazing to her it’s in its 22nd order.

According to Ashley Ross, a senior majoring in marketing and the current president of the XXXI, there are no set requirements for nomination. However, candidates must have made a significant contribution to the campus. The selection process is also anonymous.

Active members review resumes for potential new members and then vote them in, Ross said. New members don’t even know they have been nominated until they are tapped in.

“I haven’t come across any organization that does a similar process,” Ross said. “I think it’s really fun to surprise the girls.”

According to Reynolds, the goals of the society have grown since she and her co-founders started it.

“The first order just wanted to get it founded and going … now they focus on a lot of other things like community service projects …” Reynolds said.

Ross said that the service projects are a big part of the society.

“Our goal is to have a service project each semester,” she said. “Last fall we raised almost $8,000 for the Walk for Diabetes in Tuscaloosa through a silent auction. This semester we went and had a game afternoon with the residents of Capstone Village.”

According to Ross, the name also signifies the number of members allowed in the society. In order to increase the diversity of the group, Ross said, the selected members are broken down to include 18 juniors, eight seniors, three alumnae, one faculty member, one advisor and one honorary member.

Alumna status is achieved after the completion of a one-year membership.

“We wanted to make sure all people were excepted to make sure our group was diverse,” Ross said.

Despite the differences throughout the years, the primary objective of the XXXI has not changed.

“Our goal is to recognize women across the campus and across the state who have made significant contributions…our long term goal is to maintain the integrity and prestige of the XXXI,” Ross said.

Editor Amanda Peterson recused herself from editing this story.