Painting The Rock - A Whittier College Tradition

Following breakfast, we painted the Rock -- purple and gold, of course (although we ran out of gold and had to complete the lettering in yellow). I learned that Societies schedule rock-painting throughout the year and that other groups have to ask permission from the relevant Society to use a day. I asked why other groups don’t protest this reserved ownership, and no one knew the answer, but surmised that Societies are the groups most organized to take responsibility for this important tradition. We survived painting without getting paint on clothes or hands, but Callan Martinez was stung by a bee. President Finley dropped by to oversee our work and handed me a backpack with her notebook and readings for the day’s classes. Her backpack was too neat; I did not feel comfortable giving her my disheveled briefcase in return.