Prudent Mariner
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2012
- Messages
- 11
I concur with all those who think that conducting the post-license ring the bell tradition as part of a regimental formation is goofy and is a mistake by the administration.
It has been over 25 years since I rang the bell and I recall it being a memorable, but low key event. It was associated with passing the license only, not finishing all academic work. At the time, graduation was still a couple of months away. The license exam took place at the end of the 3rd quarter/beginning of 4th quarter of the senior year and the exams were graded on the spot in O'Hara, so you knew if you passed all sections of the license very shortly after turning in your last exam. If you passed all sections of the license, then you proceeded to the front of Wiley Hall and rang the bell. Like any big exam, people finished at different times, so there was a steady stream of bell ringing for about an hour to an hour and a half, then it was done.
I don't recall anyone taking any pictures and there were obviously no cell phones or web cams back then. Nobody stopped to change clothes, you went in the uniform that you took the license in.
If you didn't pass all sections of the license, you didn't ring the bell. I recall a few classmates who had to go to the CG office in NYC to do license retakes and they rang the bell once they passed, but it was weeks later.
Somehow this simple tradition has morphed into something that I don't recognize, with cell phone calls, videos, and gorilla suits.
I suggest that KP go back to the way it was in the past: ring the bell a couple of times after passing the license. If the Superintendent wants to get involved, then he could be standing there at the front doors of Wiley Hall and shake the hand of every 1/C that passed the license and offer them some congratulations on completing a very difficult and challenging task. The Commandant can stay up by the flag pole and intercept anyone in a gorilla suit.
There is absolutely no need to have a big military formation to formalize this event. The bell ringing tradition should also be de-coupled from having anything to do with finishing all academic work at KP. There already is a ceremony for that called "graduation".
It has been over 25 years since I rang the bell and I recall it being a memorable, but low key event. It was associated with passing the license only, not finishing all academic work. At the time, graduation was still a couple of months away. The license exam took place at the end of the 3rd quarter/beginning of 4th quarter of the senior year and the exams were graded on the spot in O'Hara, so you knew if you passed all sections of the license very shortly after turning in your last exam. If you passed all sections of the license, then you proceeded to the front of Wiley Hall and rang the bell. Like any big exam, people finished at different times, so there was a steady stream of bell ringing for about an hour to an hour and a half, then it was done.
I don't recall anyone taking any pictures and there were obviously no cell phones or web cams back then. Nobody stopped to change clothes, you went in the uniform that you took the license in.
If you didn't pass all sections of the license, you didn't ring the bell. I recall a few classmates who had to go to the CG office in NYC to do license retakes and they rang the bell once they passed, but it was weeks later.
Somehow this simple tradition has morphed into something that I don't recognize, with cell phone calls, videos, and gorilla suits.
I suggest that KP go back to the way it was in the past: ring the bell a couple of times after passing the license. If the Superintendent wants to get involved, then he could be standing there at the front doors of Wiley Hall and shake the hand of every 1/C that passed the license and offer them some congratulations on completing a very difficult and challenging task. The Commandant can stay up by the flag pole and intercept anyone in a gorilla suit.
There is absolutely no need to have a big military formation to formalize this event. The bell ringing tradition should also be de-coupled from having anything to do with finishing all academic work at KP. There already is a ceremony for that called "graduation".