Last Saturday, Whitworth alumni, students and faculty gathered in front of McMillan Hall to celebrate 100 years of history, brotherhood and tradition.
Built in 1914, McMillan Hall, commonly known as “Mac” among Whitworth students, was not always a dormitory. It was Whitworth’s first academic building, then became an all-female dorm and finally home to the “Men of Mac.”
“It feels good to not just be a part of a dorm but history,” said Sukwoo Lee, a freshman Mac Man. “Hearing the stories of all the alumni from Mac made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than myself.”
Over its 100 years of existence, McMillan Hall has developed traditions that are as old as its history. This includes everything from the Mac Haunted House, a spooky tradition that is a Whitworth staple, to jargon that only Mac Men will understand.
While the Men of Mac are sticking to age-old traditions, new ones are constantly being created. Taco Bell Thursday is one of these new creations where the residents on the first floor of Mac get together to indulge in greasy fast food.
The Mac Men are careful about telling outsiders about their traditions. For those who have not gone through Traditiation and have transformed from Pre-Men to Mac Men, then there is very little chance that they will ever know what happens behind Mac’s doors, Lee explained.
“I’m excited to see how the traditions continue for the next 100 years,” Tanner Scholten, a four—year Mac Man, said at the end of his speech detailing his experience in McMillan.
For Lee, his favorite tradition in Mac is the feeling of brotherhood that is cultivated amongst the students and staff there, he said.
“The No. 1 reason why I like Mac is because not only does it feel like a brotherhood, but it feels like family,” Lee said. “Whitworth embodies that feeling of family as a whole as well, not just one dorm.”
Dick Mandeville, assistant director of student life and dean of students, spoke during Mac’s 100-birthday celebration. History and secrecy has and always will give a mystique to the dorm, he said.
Contact Robert Giffin at [email protected]
