The first ring ceremony with the SMU centennial ring took place Sunday afternoon in McFarlin Auditorium. (Spencer J Eggers/The Daily Campus)

SMU celebrated its seventh annual ring ceremony on Sunday, honoring the achievements of upperclassmen

“The ring is a symbol for a strong Methodist education to be good citizens and productive members in a profession,” Dr. Lori White, the vice president of student affairs, said.

The ring is an attempt by the university to create brotherhood and sisterhood among all SMU graduates. Because all the rings share the same external characteristics, it will be easy for fellow graduates to recognize and acknowledge each other.

Other universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dartmouth College,have a strong ring tradition that creates a ‘helping-hand’ atmosphere among all of its graduates.

“The Class of 2012 will leave their symbol as all other classes have done in the past with this ring. The ring is symbolic of companionship and caring for each other,” Austin Prentice, student body president, said.

Stephanie Brown, president of The Union, said, “The ring agrees with the goals of the union. Loyal alumni are the life and blood of the institution and its future.”

President Turner, who was presented with a ring to symbolize his contributions to the university over the last 16 years, described the ring as symbolic of the SMU Centennial.

“The ring has an inside that is specific to the Centennial. It’s an important event for classes to come,” Turner said.

In usual Turner fashion, he put a humorous end to the speeches.

“For those that have the 60 plus hours needed to acquire a ring, do not blow it.”

The ring symbolizes the dreams and hopes of classes that have yet to walk through the doors of Dallas Hall. As SMU continues to rise in the rankings, the ring is an icon that resonated among underclassmen in attendance.

“As a first-year watching the ring ceremony, it inspired me to be sure to keep connections with my graduating class and work hard to uphold the SMU name,” Mehdi Hami said.