As everyone is quite aware, the University is full of societies, clubs and other ritualistic organizations that are unique to our institution. It's part of that whole historical perspective you get when you're having a bad day and walk across the Lawn, and the epiphany races through your blood that you are a part of something much larger. A tradition of excellence surrounds you, and you forget about your petty problems and get on with it. Unfortunately for me, I seem to forget this quite frequently, so if you ever see me stopped in front of Cabell staring at the clock on the Rotunda, don't be frightened. It's just the outside world putting me into my place. Eventually I'll return to normalcy and continue walking to class.
But the quest for answers remains: What do these societies do? Who are their members? And why are they members in the first place? My quest lies specifically in the Ribbon societies, Eli Banana and T.I.L.K.A., with more emphasis on T.I.L.K.A. because I have more direct experience with it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read on and hopefully I will explain. Or if you know about them like I do and have no idea what they really are, then perhaps this will answer a few questions.
A couple of weeks ago, I was told to show up at a Kappa Alpha fraternity party some time around 11 p.m. I got there and saw the usual monstrosity of people crowding around the beer and meandered my way inside. Same frat time, same frat place, nothing much different -- but soon there was a vast commotion outside. As the crowd filed out the doors, they noticed a peculiar site: one group of guys dressed in strange frocks and another standing around a trashcan holding torches. The frocks are the Eli Bananas, the original Ribbon society at the University, founded in 1878. The trashcan and torches are T.I.L.K.A., started 11 years later (1889 for non-math majors).
Almost as soon as I walked outside, one of the mysterious T.I.L.K.A.s grabbed me by my shirt and dragged me over to the trashcan, where I was immediately lifted off the ground (which I assure you is no easy task) and plunged headfirst into a garbage receptacle full of booze. When your upper torso has been dunked into red punch, several things happen to your brain. My claustrophobia set in, causing a slight panic attack. Then the fear of drowning in alcohol took over (though it sometimes sounds appealing) and my animal instinct kicked in -- get out of this trashcan.
I pushed myself out, and the people around me said congratulations. Then they handed me a chalice and told me to finish everything in it. This ceremony is called "tapping," and I sat around while several other people went through the same ordeal. Then, of course, we proceeded to drink everything left in the trashcan. While the rest of the night fades out of memory, I'm pretty certain that I've hit most of the highlights.
So, now I want to know what the hell happened to me. I had heard of these Ribbon societies before, but they had been more directly presented to me as drinking clubs, which sounded fun but a bit juvenile. Something about the tradition and the mystery of a bunch of guys standing around in a circle wielding torches appealed to me, so I decided to delve deeper. A trip to Special Collections and a browse through Bruce's "History of the University of Virginia" provided me with more information.
In 1894, the University decided that student members of Eli Banana, named after a Japanese honor society, would not be allowed to reenroll the next semester unless they pledged not to take part in the society of "Eli Banana." They signed the agreement, then grouped under name of "The Elis."
When the Elis began to fall into disputes with the authorities, the T.I.L.K.A. was organized. From then on, Eli and T.I.L.K.A. shared dominance in all governing councils in which students participated. It has been reported that T.I.L.K.A. is an anagram for five mystical words, and I honestly have no idea what that means.
The University's problem with the groups has been a result of their practices. Parades and ceremonies were held on Easter and disturbed Sunday church services nearby. And while hearing lyrics like "Come let your glasses drain / Drain to fair Tilka's name / And then fill them up again" during communion must be disconcerting, it is pretty funny.
The two societies, though loud and raucous, seem to testify to the University's unofficial doctrine of "work hard, play hard," as members were both leaders in the University community and threw the best parties. One mission statement I found in Special Collections at the bottom of a pamphlet distributed during the 1961 reunion reads:
"The T.I.L.K.A. Society was founded at The University in 1889 -- its purpose to bring together students who will work for the ideals and traditions of The University. T.I.L.K.A. has been termed an honorary society. If a person examined the records of the organization, he would find that the past members have set examples of leadership not only while in college, but also in their lives after graduation. Thus, the term honorary is applicable; for it is indeed an honor to be placed on the rolls with men who have done so much for Virginia.
"T.I.L.K.A., however, is more than just a recognition society. It has fostered many pleasant associations. Our social gatherings have often been the highlight of a weekend."
Interestingly enough, one of the organizers of the 1961 reunion was the editor-in-chief of The Cavalier Daily, suggesting that the school newspaper used to foster such organizations and held more fraternity members as staff, as the Ribbon societies are most closely associated with the Greek system.
Things change. Now The Cavalier Daily seems to increasingly take an anti-Greek stance, and the status of Ribbon societies seems to have fallen into the background of University life. Members of these societies no longer receive ribbons upon achieving membership, which makes me wonder why they are still called ribbon societies. Upon asking people who are already members about the nature of the group, it seems that most everyone shrugs and says they don't really know. Today, membership seems to be a status symbol more than an activity, but since most of the society's activities are held in secret, I guess we can't really tell. It seems like the only way to truly find out what it is all about is to fill up a trashcan with booze and dive to the bottom.
Brett Meeks can be reached at meeks@cavalierdaily.com
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