The Mortar Board chapter at the U. Nebraska-Lincoln, known as the Black Masque chapter, received the Golden Torch Award for its service throughout the 2009-2010 school year. The group was nominated and then chosen by a panel of national volunteers appointed by the Mortar Board president. The award is given to chapters that distinguish themselves by going above and beyond the norm in fulfilling Mortar Board ideals.
– Kim Buckley, kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com
Community Service:
Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for their achievements. The organization stresses three ideals: scholarship, leadership and service.
The UNL chapter was one of 22 across the nation to receive the Golden Torch Award.
There are 228 Mortar Board chapters in the United States.
The group was presented with the award at the 2010 Mortar Board National Conference held in Chicago.
The panel was impressed by the amount of service the chapter completed during the previous year, said Alicia Notestone, communications manager at the Mortar Board national headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.
“I don’t think I could name an event they weren’t in,” she said.
Some of the events UNL’s 2009-2010 chapter participated in include Relay for Life, the Big Event and a wheelchair basketball tournament.
The current president of the Black Masque chapter, Corey Drvol, gave credit to the previous members of the chapter.
“It’s something we get to live up to and strive for this year,” said Drvol, a senior education and human sciences major.
As one of the three ideals of Mortar Board, service is something the members of the Black Masque chapter value.
“It gives us an opportunity to use what we’ve been given and give back to other students,” Drvol said.
The Mortar Board organization was founded in 1918 and the UNL chapter was chartered in 1921. The UNL chapter has 24 members this year.
Future Plans:
This year the chapter will be paired up with an elementary school for a reading buddy program. The members are also looking into creating new programs.
The Black Masque chapter will participate in a traditional gavel exchange with the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Friars chapter on Oct. 30.
At the UNL-Mizzou football game, the two chapters will meet on the field at half-time and exchange a gavel that the Friars chapter received when UNL played on their field. The Black Masque chapter will be wearing black masks and robes.
This might be the last exchange with the Friars because UNL will be moving into the Big Ten Conference.