For 74 years, the Green Key Society has served the College performing various community services.
The two biggest services of the honorary society for juniors are welcoming new students at Freshman Orientation and bidding farewell at Commencement ceremonies.
"Anytime a different office sends a request, the Green Key Society helps to do the job," Green Key President Kaja Schuppert '95 said.
Other activities for the Green Key Society include Student Activities Night and the Horizons Program for alumni. In addition, Green Key is in charge of administering student elections, greeting visitors in the admissions office, visiting students at Dick's House, helping with Freshman Parents Weekend and producing the Day-by-Day student calendar.
Though Green Key has specific jobs, it is not confined to other activities. This year, for example, it produced the first annual student elections newsletter to inform the student body about the platform of each candidate.
"We do a low profile, yet very important job for the College," Schuppert said.
Members
The Green Key Society represents a wide cross-section of the Dartmouth community. Forty-four representatives are chosen from groups with more than 18 members, including athletic teams and musical groups. In addition, 20 students are elected by the student body at large.
In past years, the Green Key Society did not always have enough members to fill the spots. A concerted effort to attract in-coming juniors was made this year. The Green Key Society sent individual letters to all members of the Class of 1996 telling them about the society and 30 students ran for the 20 spots available.
Members must serve on at least one of the society's activity committees, for example, the group which puts out the "Day by Day" calendar.
Green Key members said they wanted to be involved in order to perform community service.
"I became a member of the Green Key Society because I enjoy helping others, especially members of the Dartmouth community," Jonathon Belk '95 said. "I think that service organizations such as Green Key are crucial to the improvement of the microcosm here at Dartmouth and to the personal growth of all the individuals."
Hosea Harvey '95 said, "I wanted to become a member because I felt that I had not been able to actively channel my energy into community service at Dartmouth."
Others said they joined to meet people with a similar desire to do community service.
"I saw the Green Key Society as an opportunity to meet people who care a lot about Dartmouth," Schuppert said.
Founding
The Green Key Society was founded in 1920 with service as its sole function and purpose.
In 1920, Dartmouth's football team traveled to the University of Washington where students in uniform took charge of the baggage, provided transportation, brought refreshments and served as guides.
Dartmouth's football team not only won a victory that day, but came back with an idea for a community service organization.
The original purposes of the organization were to provide entertainment of guests of the College, act on the freshman rule enforcement committee and select men from the societ's leadership who would compete for head cheerleader and head usher.
Green Key dropped the freshman rules enforcement function two years after its founding. At that time, the society voted to turn over the duty of forcing freshman to wear their beenies to the sophomores who were more interested in performing the "service."
The other functions were transferred to other parts of the College.
In 1927, at the faculty's request, the members of Green Key members donned uniforms of white trousers, green sweaters and green hats with a key emblem to aid freshmen during the first week of school.
In 1929, the society staged the Green Key Spring Prom to fill the vacancy of spring social events.
Throughout all these changes, the Green Key Society has been devoted to athletic hospitality, but as Dartmouth's athletic program grew larger, the service became too much for it to handle without definite organization.
The death of service
The years 1934 through 1936 signaled the only real revolution in the history of the Green Key Society. The principal problem with the society during these years seems to have been the death of the service ideal in favor of prestige.
The body was unwieldy, the method of selection left the members open to fraternity politics and, because of its inherent faults, there was widespread opinion that Green Key Society had forgotten its primary duty.
But in 1936, the organizational structure was changed.
Only 40 members were selected, all major activities on campus were represented and the scholastic requirements necessary for admission were raised.
During World War II, the society's functions were suspended for two years, but its functions temporarily increased.
After the war, Green Key saw an increase in its functions and services by planning Green Key's May Weekend and by increasing faculty-student relations.
Today, the Green Key Society still retains the same philosophy. of its founding constitution -- a committment to broad service.
