April 29, 2011

By Kaylen Ralph

When juniors Sean Nahlik and Amelia Smith, best friends since freshman year, were tapped by rival secret societies on April 22, Nahlik said he knew their senior year would be interesting.

Smith said their respective societies are very similar and that their similarities aids in fueling the rivalry.

“It’s really a fun rivalry, because they’re the two general undergrad organizations that both select seven members each year,” she said.

There are six known secret societies at MU: Mystical Seven, Omicron Delta Kappa, QEBH, LSV, Mortar Board and Rollins Society. The Mystical Seven and QEBH select seven undergraduate students each year.

Smith, one of the newest members of QEBH, said the society prides itself on being the oldest of the six societies. The meaning of the letters are known only to the members.

“Since we were the first recognized organization on campus, we feel more founded, and we’re very proud of our alumni,” she said.

According to a previous Maneater article, QEBH was founded in 1898 by Royall Switzler.

But Nahlik said he disagreed that QEBH outdates the society of which he is a member, the Mystical Seven.

“It’s important to note that the Mystical Seven was revealed in 1907,” he said. “No one knows when they were actually started. QEBH thinks they’re older, but they’re not.”

Both Nahlik and Smith said they couldn’t reveal the process that occurs leading up to Tap Day, but both made it clear that it is the societies who seek out the students, not vice-versa.

“They seek out and select students who they deem worthy,” Nahlik said.

Smith said she knew a couple weeks before Tap Day that she had been one of the seven undergraduate students selected by QEBH this year, but that the surprise aspect is what makes the honor so special to her.

“Our org has strong members that really care about this school,” she said. “They have a deep need to better our university for what it’s given to us, that’s what it means to me.”

The actual Tap Day ceremony is widely advertised by various student organizations, including Greek Life and the Missouri Students Association. The fanfare of the actual ceremony creates a stark dichotomy to the secret nature of the societies.

Smith said she acknowledged the ceremony and could detract from the secrecy, but that once Tap Day is over, the societies’ members once again resume low-profiles.

“From what I’ve learned so far, as you graduate and become an alumni, you don’t bring it up,” she said.

But both Nahlik and Smith said the ceremony provides recognition to student leaders who perhaps wouldn’t be recognized otherwise. Until he was elected Four Front co-chair this March, Nahlik had never held an official leadership position on campus.

“The fact that it’s secret is important but it’s important to have that recognition as well,” Smith said.

Nahlik described the Mystical Seven as a “family” of student leaders.

“It’s a recognition of the work you’ve done,” he said. “It’s weird how people know, people who I don’t even know are congratulating me.”