After weeks of planning on behalf of seniors and weeks of anticipation for juniors, Ring Night finally came and went last weekend. Some students chose not to participate, but you’d be hard pressed to find them. Most of the Hollins population takes part in this long-held tradition. A lot of individuals seemed to get a lot of questions from family and friends back home about the event. While the Hollins website attempts to describe Ring Night, there’s really no all-encompassing way to accurately depict the amazing bonding which happens over the weekend.
I’ve participated in Ring Night as a junior and senior, though I did not as a first year or sophomore. First years and sophomores can opt to work as liaisons for a weekend, helping pass communication to juniors from their secret senior sisters and vice versa. Juniors fill out a sheet during presentations (done mainly to prevent hazing and explain how Ring Night works) that tell their senior sister(s) things they like such as favorite candy, movie, and musical artist. Seniors then spend the following weeks preparing a basket for their junior sister.
The basket may include things from their sheet or personalized and decorated items such as wine glasses. The basket also includes items the junior will use in her senior year – a pot or pan to bang during Tinker Scares, spray paint for the Rock, and the ever-important four bottles of champagne (one for each big event – First Step, Ring Night, 100th Night, and Graduation) with a bottle of cider for the public part of First Step.
I had a blast preparing baskets for my two main junior sisters, one half-sister, and eleven honoraries. It was perhaps even more fun coming up with the demands which would keep my main sisters busy all weekend. And I definitely enjoyed the cupcakes (thanks, Shannon) and the delicious sandwich from my favorite local café (thanks, Lydia).
But the best thing about Ring Night wasn’t the planning or the fact that I had minions for a couple of days. The best part was when I revealed my identity to my sisters and the excitement and joy which surrounded that. This, I think, is what Ring Night is really about. This is the heart of it all. In the end, Ring Night is about bonding and sisterhood. Hollins, of course, does not have sororities because we’re kind of like one big sorority. We all love each other and are all passionate about the things we care about. We’re all unique and hard workers. All of this comes together during Ring Night and by the end, you walk away feeling more like a family than ever before.