“Tradition is more than an allegiance to the past,” according a booklet commemorating the restoration of the Little Round House by the Jasons. “Tradition is the cement that gives continuity to greatness. It is the foundation for tomorrow.”
Highly achieving students at The University of Alabama will be inducted into its most prestigious and selective honor societies during Friday’s “Tapping on the Mound,” which has occurred at the Capstone since the early 1900s, according to the University’s description of the mound.
“Tapping on the Mound is something that has occurred for a really long time here at the University,” said AJ Collins, a senior majoring in economics and political science, and the president of the Coordinating Council for Honor Societies. “There haven’t been a lot of changes for an extended period of time.”
Austin Gaddis, a senior majoring in communication studies who serves as president of the Anderson Society, said the tapping ceremony is an important part of honoring worthy UA students.
“The tapping process on the Mound has become ingrained as a storied university tradition,” Gaddis said. “It really does allow from an institution of tradition, and [it’s] a really good way to recognize students who are doing their part, who are doing what is supposed to be done, who are going above and beyond the call of duty, [and] who are really investing themselves in the University community and the local community.”
One of Alabama’s oldest honor societies is Mortar Board, which began in 1929 according to materials put out by Mortar Board in 1979 to honor the organization’s 50th anniversary. Mortar Board arose from an older organization at the University, Hypatia, which had been formed as an all female honor society.
By 1979, Mortar Board had grown significantly since its founding and began admitting men.
“We will tap 35 new members on April 12, 1979, out of some 1,000 applicants. There is another noticeable change: some of these members are men,” a program from the 1979 tapping says.
Perhaps the most renowned honor society at the University, the Jasons, was formed in 1914 by Lister Hill, who later became a senator according to materials released by the Jasons.
At the Jasons’ Diamond Jubilee celebration in 1974, Sen. Hill spoke, along with Sen. John Sparkman and Coach Steve Sloan, who were also Jasons. Listed in the directory of Jasons released in the same year is William Raines Battle III – better known as UA Athletic Director Bill Battle.
The Jasons are not a part of the Tapping on the Mound because they only admit men, and are therefore not officially recognized by the University. A similar restriction applies to the XXXI, which only admits women.
Colin Whitworth, a 2012 graduate of Alabama who was tapped into Blue Key during his time as an undergraduate at Alabama, said the ceremony was meaningful for him.
“My parents came, and they didn’t even come to graduation,” he said “When you get tapped, you really feel the prestige of it.”
Collins said the Tapping on the Mound has significance beyond simply those who are being honored and their families, however.
“It’s a good way for freshmen and sophomores at the University see what can be in store for them in the future, and also see a lot of people they look up to get recognized,” he said. “It’s the best way to show and embody Capstone unity and success.”
