Upcoming Events
2020 Moundbuilding Ceremony
A few important notes about Moundbuilding in 2020:
+ We’ll be keeping it brief: The event program will be shortened
+ Spread out: Organizations/Teams/Friend groups will be asked to stay in an assigned area (marked by flags) on Mossman/Beech/Keyhole Lawns – sending designated Builders to the Mound with the group rock when called forward by SGA. Groups may also “park” your rock next to the mound ahead of time so that it doesn’t have to be carried so far when called.
+ Mask up: Masks are expected to be worn throughout the event
+ Student attendance should not be required by teams or organizations
+ Just students, faculty, staff, and coaches this year: community members and alumni we’re asking that you add your rocks to the Mound at a later time
+ Please limit the size of your rock so that it could feasibly be carried by strong two people. If you need to add a larger rock later on… Rock on Builders. This Thursday, we ask that you keep it a manageable size.
The Mound
On September 8, 1927, a new college tradition "absolutely unique among all the colleges of the world" began. On that night, the first "Building of the Mound" ceremony was born. On the first Thursday of each school year, students gather to hear Dean Leroy Allen's original speech. Following the speech, they follow members of the Student Government Association through the campus, stopping at points of interest along the way until the gang reaches the Mound.
Then, one by one, each student adds their rock that they decorated the night before to the growing pile in front of them. Why do we do it? Dean Allen says it best: "For many years Southwesterners have been known as 'The Moundbuilders.' But this was a mere figure of speech. Literally, they built no mounds. But now it is proposed that they actually do so in a solemn ceremony that will at once symbolize the traditional constructive tendencies of the College, and at the same time pledge the loyalty of faculty and students to Alma Mater."
In 1998 and 1999, when Newsweek listed the 15 most bizarre mascots/nicknames among colleges and universities in the United States, the SC Moundbuilders were right up there among the Banana Slugs and the Fighting Missionaries. So, you could pick a standard education anywhere, or a unique experience at SC.
