Junior ring tradition lives on

For Brittney Schlauch, three years could not come soon enough. From the day she was a rook at Norwich University until now, it has been a long and tiring road.

"I am mostly excited for getting my ring, I have been waiting three years," said Schlauch, 20, a junior communications major from Boca Raton, Fla. 

Schlauch will receive her $950 ring when Norwich has its 87th Junior Ring Ceremony on April 23 and 24. Although the final plans are still in the making, juniors cannot wait to receive their small but honorable rings.

This tradition began in 1923. It was a senior class tradition; now 87 years later it has now become a junior class tradition, according to the Norwich University Website. 

One side of the ring is designed by the junior class of that year.  The other side of the ring, however, must conform to a university standard in the interest of maintaining a distinctive tradition, according to the Norwich University Web site.

Alumni still have the memories of the times when they received their rings and how it felt for them to finally reach their junior year. 

"From day one at Norwich you see and hear about the Norwich ring.  It is a goal that seems so far away as a rook but you know that those who earn the ring have succeeded and represent the Norwich name," said Paul Meier, class of '01 as quoted in an article on the Norwich Web site.

Future alumni also feel the excitement. 

"I can't believe I have gone through three years in the corps here at Norwich, it is really exciting to get to this point and get my ring," said Richard Macris, a 21-year-old communications major from Ridgefield, Conn.

"The ring means that I went to a really prestigious school that has a lot of successful alumni," said Geoffrey Ross, a 22-year-old junior communications major from Oviedo, Fla.

"Your rook buddies, classmates and peers are alongside you as you put your ring on for the first time, just like they were on day one and will be there forever if you ever need them," Meier said in the article. 

"The ring is a symbol that will always remind me of what I accomplished at Norwich and the challenges that I faced and overcame which have turned me into who I am today," Meier said.

"The ring means to me all the hard work I have put into the school and the pride that I have. I will always remember how much hard work it was to get that ring," Schlauch said.