Bored of the Rings

Recently, the Undergraduate Council found a great new way to waste time: It’s getting involved in the class ring drama. Last Sunday, the council had an extensive debate on whether to give one ring company an exclusive deal on Harvard class rings. The proposal passed, so next year’s council representatives will likely be hawking class rings on behalf of a large, for-profit company. Granted, Harvard Student Agencies (HSA)—the official ring vendor of the original bill, and now likely to be the one chosen by the council—is itself nonprofit. But it will almost certainly be contracting the ring-making out to a company that will reap large benefits from the deal.

Our council representatives are ostensibly offering their ring-selling services pro bono. However, the council as a whole is accepting $3,000 as part of the same bill authorizing the one-ring deal—a juxtaposition which council member Jason L. Lurie ’05 rightly called “bribery.” In last week’s arguments, other representatives criticized the bill and Vice President Michael R. Blickstead ’05 withdrew his sponsorship for a modified bill because it “prostitut[ed] an idea to other companies.” But what Blickstead fails to recognize is that this project would not only turn our representatives into ring prostitutes, it would distract them from working on important matters of student interest and perpetuate the purchase of class rings—a ridiculous tradition whose ouster is long overdue.

Some might argue that rings are important matters of student interest. After all, nearly half of all graduates buy one. So, wouldn’t it be nice to save them some money by cutting a deal? In a word, no.

Regardless of the cost, buying a ring is a colossal waste of money. Some people buy rings because they want to show off the fact that they went to Harvard or remind themselves of it. Others do it because they feel that they should. But it’s possible to satisfy the first two needs and still have $600 left over. And no students should buy rings simply because they think it’s expected of them.

We’ll all be proud to have graduated from Harvard. But it’s pretentious to drop the H-bomb with everyone you meet by slamming a fat “Veritas” ring down on the table. Modesty is a virtue, and it’s not modest to wear 18 carats of gold that scream: “I went to Harvard.” Most people will ask you where you went to college pretty quickly. If they don’t care, you don’t need to tell them.

Then there are the people who claim that a ring is a constant reminder of the effort, accomplishment and enjoyment of one’s college years. Yet can’t we get even more poignant Harvard memorabilia for a tiny fraction of the cost? Why not keep photos in our wallets that remind us of college? Instead of pictures of babies and girlfriends, your wallet could contain photos of keg stands, late-night studying in Lamont and the moment you receive your diploma. At no cost, you can put nostalgic photos on your computer’s wallpaper.

Finally, some people buy a ring simply because they think that they should. Your blockmates are buying them; your parents are willing to pay for it; or, coming soon, council members will be tabling in your dining hall and spamming the house lists, making you feel obligated to buy one.

But none of this changes the fundamental fact: Class rings are downright silly. They are a waste of students’ money and a waste of the council’s time.

Nicholas F.B. Smyth ’05, an editorial editor, is a government concentrator in Dunster House.