Yesterday morning was Chapel Sing 2013! A grueling forty minutes of painstaking singing of the school song with the occasional Sphinx Club member dropping by to see how well you can sing the school song. And by “dropping by” I mean one, two, or three Sphinx Club members dropping by to yell in your ear different lines of the song, singing at different tempos louder than you, or just generally messing with you. All in the attempt to get the singer to mess up even one world, red card them, and send them into the Chapel to get a red W at their second time of seeing the song. Fare enough to say, it is not easy or altogether pleasant doing this for forty minutes. However, it is very rewarding when all is said and done.

Chapel Sing has been around for over one hundred years now and is among the stronger of traditions at the college. Only Sphinx club members are allowed to participate with the competitors, which are every fraternity’s pledge classes and any independents that may wish to participate. The Sphinx, if you do not know, is also one of the more noticeable “traditions” of the college. Wally’s attire is model after the Sphinx Club overalls and pot in fact. The idea of the Sphinx Club is to protect and continue on the traditions of the college as time passes over the years, and to keep Wabash strong and founded in its cultural roots.

This year Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) walked away from Chapel Sing with only one W, and a good showing as one of the Top Five pledge classes to go into the Chapel for a group singing. However, because of that one W a disappointing fourth place came in the end to the pledges of Phi Gamma. Now, Chapel Sing is also apart of a point system and event in all of Homecoming itself. The other items being how each house is to build a float, banner, devise a chant, and choose a queen. Yes, choose a queen. No, it is not a real woman. Oh the luxuries of all male… But, each of those count for different points in the competition, with Chapel Sing have the greatest number of points. By the end of the week all items are judged and a fraternity is awarded as the winner of their respective events and Homecoming altogether. It can also be the most stressful week of the year for some freshman, but well worth the results that come with it.

WAF.