The Red Shirt Victory Bell

After the administration forced Rho Sigma to cede the Touchdown Cannon to Sigma Alpha Sigma in 1965-66, the Red Shirts adopted a large bell to serve as a replacement. The Victory Bell was usually painted bright red with Rho Sigma's arms, the Greek letters, Shmoes or other designs. The first Victory Bell is believed to have been painted by Ken Sneed, a 1966 initiate. The Victory Bell was usually rung at home football games in the Sixties. In Fall 1971, the Red Shirts sponsored a 48-hour bell ring by the Tiger statue to whip up student support for an important football game against Arkansas Tech. However, ringing the bell during class hours irritated a few instructors, so future bell rings were limited to after class hours. By the late Seventies, Rho Sigma had settled into a regular All-Night Bell-Ring and Tiger Guard to boost spirit and protect the Tiger statue before the Henderson State football game. Several different bells were used, since inexperienced Red Shirts occasionally broke the bell by hitting the side of the bell to ring it. The bell-rings have been a popular and successful activity, but there have been incidents. The first incident happened in Fall 1972. Spotting the Red Shirt bell on the front porch of a house rented by a senior Red Shirt, Clark County officials conspired to take the bell to use at their hunting lodge. They confiscated the bell, read the serial number, then trumped up papers proving ownership. Since Rho Sigma could not produce a receipt of ownership, the Red Shirts were forced to let the local officials steal the bell. One year, the Red Shirt who was guarding the bell late at night became drunk and fell asleep. While he was asleep, thieves stole both the bell and $2,000 worth of Rho Sigma sound system equipment. Still, the Victory Bell tradition lives on. Today's bell rings often involve a general student celebration. In Fall 2007, the bell ring was incorporated in Rho Sigma's ambitious and well-received Battle of the Ravine Festival.