Ben Wicker, the assistant director of residence life at Maryville College, wanted to pay tribute to the “echoes” of the college’s alumni that came before him. So he recently had the phrase “wake the echoes” tattooed onto himself.

“For me, that’s just the portion of the alma mater that represents the history of this school, which is almost 200 years old. We survived a lot of different things,” Wicker said. “I’m very proud of that history. It wasn’t really me, but I want to honor that and recognize our role in creating this history.”

He got the tattoo as part of the MC Alma Mater Tattoo Project he started, in which participants tattoo the phrases of Maryville College’s alma mater on themselves. So far, 39 people have gotten tattoos for the project, which Wicker said he decided to move forward with after discussing it with a few friends to assure there was interest in the project.

The only rules he created for the project were making sure the phrase was legible and that the participant was willing to share a high-quality image of the tattoo after it was done.

Courtesy of Ben Wicker
 

“Because of my experiences here at Maryville, knowing the fondness that my classmates and students have for the institution and the growing acceptance of tattoos in general, I didn’t really think I had a problem, and it really hasn’t been difficult getting participants,” Wicker said.

Evy Linkous, a senior writing and communications major at Maryville, originally didn’t sign up for the project. But after admiring the tattoo of someone involved with the project one day at lunch, she decided to put her name on a waiting list with two of her friends, she said.

Three spots then became available because people dropped out for various reasons, Linkous said. She added that she saw this as a sign, so she and her friends decided to join the project. Her tattoo is on her wrist. It says “ensign of our hill.”

It was her first tattoo, she said, which is part of the reason she decided to do it. Linkous said that before joining, she thought that if she were to ever get a tattoo, that would be the type of tattoo she would want.

“I like the idea of the project because I don’t have a big power ‘M’ tattooed on myself; it’s more like a subtle nod to Maryville College,” Linkous said. “It was like marking an important milestone in my life.”

Jenna Hunt, a senior theater studies major, also participated in the project. Hunt decided to let Wicker choose her phrase for her rather than specifying which one she would want.

Hunt said the tattoo, which reads “pierce thee,” is meaningful to her despite the fact that she did not choose it herself. The phrase is a reference to mountains “piercing the sky,” she said.

“Anywhere you look on campus, you can see the mountains,” she said. “They are a big part of the heritage of this area, and they are a really neat symbol of overcoming adversity, like climbing the mountain to success.”

Courtesy of Ben Wicker
 

Wicker said the project was simply a side venture for him when he started it, but he added that he has been pleasantly surprised by the positive reactions from social media and the campus community. He said he never expected to get picked up by local news, other universities or big news outlets such as USA Today College.

“I think it’s been really neat the attention we’ve gotten. I think it’s because of how unique everyone thinks it is that there are students who are dedicated enough to make Maryville College a permanent part of themselves,” Linkous said. “I know, personally, I have not regretted it a single time.”

Published on February 10, 2016 at 11:48 pm

Contact BreeAnna: blposhek@syr.edu