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- Why does the Ring
Committee have rings and I don't?
- How can I order my ring and what
are the different options?
- I wasn't able to attend Premiere.
How can I get free stuff?
- I won a free ring during Premiere. Where do I get it from?
- Can I get a copy
of the videos and flash presentation that you showed during Premiere?
- Why are there two stars each on
two sides of the 2006 Brass Rat?
- When do I pay for my ring?
- Response to the Greek Letters
- I was just wondering, can we still order the ring next year
and if so, is the price the same?
- I am a member of '06 studying away from the Institute
this semester. How can I order my Brass Rat?
- Can I go to Ring Delivery even if I don't order a Brass Rat?
- If I can't come to Ring Delivery, how will I get my ring?
- Am I allowed to bring a guest to Ring Delivery?
Q: Why does the ring committee have rings and I don't?
Ring Committee members have promotional rings so that members of our class can see the different sizes, styles, and finishes of the rings. These are not our real rings -- we'll be receiving those at the same time you do, at Ring Delivery on April 30th.
Q: How can I order my ring and what are the different options?
You can order the ring from February 23rd-27th and March 1st-3rd. There will be a booth set up in Lobby 10 where you will be able to spend all the time you want looking at the different sizes, finishes, and caratsof the rings in yellow and white gold. You will also get sized by an Artcarved representative, who will explain more details about payment. A lso check out your brochure for more payment details. You can view the pricing chart there or in the Ordering section of the 2006 Ring Committee website.
Q: I wasn't able to attend Premiere. How can I get free stuff?
Thanks to everyone for understanding that we couldn't save commemorative party favors for those who weren't able to attend premiere. We do have extras, however, that will be available at the ordering booth in Lobby 10. If you weren't able to attend Premiere (and therefore don't have a gift), stop by and get one from the booth. (Numbers are limited so first come, first serve.) You can even order your ring at the same time! Please do not take another gift if you already have one.
Q: I won a free ring during Premiere. Where do I get it from?
If you won a free ring, please email the Ring Committee for more information -- just use our Feedback Form.
Q: Can I get a copy of the videos and flash presentation that you showed during Premiere?
Yes! Check out the Flash section of this website.
Q: Why are there two stars each on two sides of the 2006 Brass Rat?
The stars that appear on the ring are a part of the "Starry Night" scene that we chose to represent. They in no way represent the affiliation of any members of the Ring Committee. The stars were not specifically mentioned during Premiere because they are purely aesthetic and have no symbolic meaning. We thought the mention that we included a "Starry Night" motif in the sky for two of the sides would be enough. In fact, they were a suggestion from the company artist who drew the ring design, not a suggestion from a committee member. Finally, be aware that every motion that was made during the design process required more than a 2/3 vote to be passed, which ensured that the committee never voted favorably on a symbol which represented only a small part of the group.
Artcarved provides
three payment options:
1. Pay in full - pay with cash, money order, check (make payable to Artcarved),
or credit card (MC, Visa, Amex or Discover). This can be done at the time
that you place your order.
2. Wear as you pay - payments made with Mastercard, Visa, American Express
or Discover may enjoy a "time payment." Leave at least a $75 deposit
(or 20%, whichever is greater) when you place your order. The remaining balance
is then divided into equal payments (up to six). The first payment will be
charged the week of April 5, 2004. the subsequent payments will be charged
at 30-day intervals.
3. C.O.D. (cash on delivery) - leave a $25 deposit when you place your order.
The balance remaining is paid upon delivery of your ring (cash, personal checks,
or money orders made payable to Artcarved are accepted).
Stop by the booth in Lobby 10 between February 23rd and March 3rd for more
information and to order your ring.
Dear Class of 2006,
It has been an honor and a privilege to design the 2006 Brass Rat. This year’s Ring Committee worked with incredible devotion since September. Our goal was to create a ring that embodies our class’s unity and showcases important events that have occurred during our time at MIT. Every symbol that was seen on the ring at the Ring Premiere was carefully thought out and discussed, sometimes for hours or days, before the entire committee agreed to eternalize it as a part of our class ring.
We embarked on this mission with the knowledge that no matter how hard we worked to represent every student’s interest, no symbol would satisfy every student in our class. The diversity of our class is what makes it great, but it also makes it impossible to find one representation that fits everyone. Thank you for all the positive responses that you have given us. Hearing from satisfied members of the class is gratifying as it reflects that we have accomplished a very difficult task. As ordering period continues, we are proud that hundreds of you are partaking in the age-old tradition of the MIT Brass Rat.
We appreciate the feedback that we have received from the class since Premiere, both positive and negative. Many of you have expressed valid concerns. However, it must be considered that Ring Premiere is the unveiling of the final ring design, a design which was finished before Thanksgiving and into which was put an enormous amount of thought and energy, while keeping in mind possible concerns.
One thing that the committee agreed should be represented on the ring was the policy change by MIT that all freshmen, whether affiliated or not, would live on campus. Changes in Rush have been reflected on past rings, such as 2005, which included a Rush gravestone on the class shank. In our symbol, we hoped to reflect how the policy change affected all the members of our class, and we realized that it did so by changing who we lived with during our freshman year. By forcing affiliated freshmen to live on campus, the new Rush policy allowed our class to be united for an entire year, unlike any other class before us. As a committee, we felt that the policy change affected our whole class to a great degree and needed to be symbolized on the ring.
Our next task was to decide what symbol would best represent affiliated and non-affiliated members of our class living together in Cambridge. The natural choice was to add a Greek symbol to dorm row on the Cambridge skyline, and we decided that the most-recognizable Greek symbol is Greek letters. We decided to place two letters on the skyline because they seemed more aesthetically pleasing than one or three letters.
Choosing the letters to put on the skyline was no simple task. We put a lot of effort into deciding how this should be done, and as a diverse committee we decided on the following method. Since the Brass Rat represents MIT, we knew we wanted to put the letters on the ring that appear most frequently in the names of MIT’s Greek organizations. (We included fraternities, sororities, independent living groups, and national panhellenic groups.) We counted up the letters that appear in the organizations’ names, finding that phi occurred 17 times and alpha 11 times. However, these two letters together spell Alpha Phi, and since our goal was not to represent one particular living group, we rejected this combination. The next most frequent letters are theta and sigma each appearing 10 times. The combination of phi and sigma was also rejected because Phi Sig, like Alpha Phi, refers to a specific organization. A count with only residential fraternities, sororities and independent living groups showed that phi still had the majority with 12, and theta, alpha, and delta all tied for second with 8. The same reasons as above can be applied to delta since the common name on campus for Phi Delta Theta is Phi Delts.
After much discussion the committee finally settled on phi and theta. It was the intent of the committee, and the purpose of the selection process to make sure these letters do not refer to particular Greek organizations. They were certainly not chosen to honor certain organizations and offend others. As a committee, we voted unanimously that phi and theta were as neutral a choice for the Greek letters as any other pair of Greek letters, and more representative of MIT than any other pair we could have chosen.
The dissatisfaction of a portion of the class with this aspect of the ring brought the Ring Committee together to discuss the implications of changing the ring design. The concerns of those who submitted negative feedback were considered and the opinions of the students were taken into account. However, we realized that changing the ring design even slightly would set a very poor precedent for ring committees of the future. No class should believe that Ring Premiere is a time to submit ideas for the Brass Rat – the class’s ideas were taken into account during the design period in the fall, and the full responsibility of designing the ring was given to a committee that was appointed by representatives of the class. By making a change to the ring after the design has been premiered we make the already-daunting task of future ring committees much more difficult. In addition, changing the ring would deliver a different product than promised to those who have already ordered their rings.
We appreciate ArtCarved’s recent attempts to work with us on possibly making changes to the design, but it is the Ring Committee’s final decision not to change the 2006 Brass Rat, regardless of whether or not it is a feasible option, for reasons listed above.
Thank you for all of your feedback, we look forward to seeing you at Top of the Hub!
Sincerely,
The 2006 Ring Committee
Q: I was just wondering, can we still order the ring next year and if so, is the price the same?
Yes! Until graduation day for the class of 2006, the price of the ring will remain unchanged. After graduation, the price will be adjusted to market value, which could be double or even triple the current cost -- so buy now! You can order by phone anytime by calling ArtCarved (1-800-531-5131), but you must have your finger size ready when you place the order, which means you'll need to get sized at a jewelry store. You can also place an order with an ArtCarved representative when the company is at MIT (they'll be around in the spring for service days as well as in the fall to sell next year's rings and the grad rings). To get your ring on April 30th with the rest of your classmates, place your order by phone by Friday, March 5th. If you order it after the 5th, your ring will be shipped directly to you.
You can either order by phone (see above answer) or wait until next semester (see above answer).
Q: Can I go to Ring Delivery even if I don't order a Brass Rat?
Definitely. Ring Delivery is a time to celebrate the unity of our class and every member of the 2006 class is invited. Please remember to bring your ID to Delivery.
Q: If I can't come to Ring Delivery, how will I get my ring?
ArtCarved will be in Lobby 10 to deliver rings Monday through Thursday, May 3 to 6.
Q: Am I allowed to bring a guest to Ring Delivery?
Sorry, only members of the MIT Class of 2006 may attend Ring Delivery. There is not enough space at Top of the Hub for us to accomodate each member of our class as well as a guest.