Celebrating 60 Years of Radical Belonging

A History of the House System

House Meetings. Air Band. Brother-Sister House Functions. Messy Games. Painting the Bell. Fun Runs. COSA Events. Candle passings. Final Fling. Countless Memories. Lifelong Friendships.

“ Everyone who is here belongs here just because they are here, and for no other reason. This is our top rule. It depends on nothing else. Nothing changes it.”

GRACELAND UNIVERSITY HOUSE PHILOSOPHY

In the spring of 1962, the Civil Rights Movement was sweeping across the United States and there was a sense on Graceland’s campus that social clubs on campus were causing divisiveness amongst the student body. Graceland made the decision to completely reorganize the campus social setting and residence life with the goal of unifying the campus through more inclusive social activities for students. Harvey Grice, Graceland’s President at the time, asked the Council of Student Life (CSL) to study the campus, conduct student polls, and hold all campus meetings. The CSL determined that the numerous campus social clubs were too exclusionary to promote the type of student life that Graceland wanted after becoming a 4-year institute in the mid 1950s. Social clubs came to an end at the conclusion of the 1961-62 academic year.

In a special session held Monday, May 7, 1962, the faculty approved the CSL’s proposal for campus reorganization. The new system was primarily designed by Director of Housing Dave Haseltine, Dean of Students Harold Condit, and the Student Body President Jennings Jay Newcom, based on a model used by Grinnell College. Alongside others, Haseltine, Condit, and Newcom spearheaded the development of a new housing system which was approved to be implemented in the fall of 1962 for that academic year, and the house system Graceland holds dear was born.

The Originals

The first ever Council of House Presidents
portrait, a tradition that has continued year after year ever since. – 1963 Acacia

In the fall of 1962, 15 houses were established, seven men’s houses, seven women’s, and a last hall for married students. Each house had 45-67 students, a faculty member to act as a sponsor, and an elected student council to manage any house social activities and housing issues that came up among members. This council originally included a House President, Vice President/Treasurer, Vice President/Secretary, Chaplain, two Senators, and an Intramurals or Women’s Recreation Association representative.

At the beginning of the 1962-63 school year, house members organized to elect positions and propose house names to be approved. House members also chose their own insignias, colors, mottos, and crests, all of which had to be submitted to Lance Hutton, the Council of House Presidents Vice President. Many of them still exist today.

Some houses have kept their histories and trivia veiled in secret, not to be easily recorded by the history books. The following listing of houses is what our investigative team could find over the years.

Original Men’s Houses

Aaron’s homecoming sidewalk rope “climb” tradition across campus, first staged in 1979.

AARON 1962-2012

HOUSE MASCOT Knights
COLORS Black, White, and Red
NAME ORIGIN After the Aaronic priesthood of the Community of Christ (then RLDS) church
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT James Warnock
TRIVIA Aaron’s knightly origins date back to a social club called the K.O.G. (Knights of Graceland) that began in 1946-47. The K.O.G. passed on their knightly paraphernalia to Aaron. K.O.G. also contributed the idea and the labor for the big concrete G that is visible from the football stands. Aaron House members were easy to identify on campus because of their iconic red jackets, introduced in 1977-78 and designed by Brian Carr.

AGAPE 1962-Present

HOUSE SYMBOL A cross resembling the Ankh symbol, an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph signifying “life”
COLORS Navy Blue and White (originally Green and Black)
NAME ORIGIN After the Des Moines, Iowa area campgrounds and the Greek word for “love,” represents brotherhood to house members
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT James Gargano
TRIVIA In early years, Agape had a house choir and participated in a “chicken stealing party” (which is exactly what it sounds like, though the chickens were taken legally).

CLOSSON 1962-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Crusaders
COLORS Blue and Yellow (originally Scarlet and White)
NAME ORIGIN After Eugene Closson, professor of Psychology at Graceland from 1931-59
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Leighton Leighty
TRIVIA Closson House was initially comprised of 18 members and all male students who lived in Lamoni. During the 1991-92 academic year, house president Adam Long wanted to create lasting traditions, so they initiated the woman of the week tradition and the annual Caped Crusader Ball.

EDWARDS 1962-85 

HOUSE MASCOT A lion
COLORS Originally Orange and Black (then Yellow and Black)
NAME ORIGIN After F. Henry Edwards and Blanche Edwards, an RLDS First President and a member of the Graceland Board of Trustees respectively
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT James Elvin
TRIVIA Edwards House had a long-time tradition of “Big E Night” when house members would apply “E”s of various sizes around the campus prior to the homecoming football game. It was announced in 1985 that the first floor of Gunsolley would close, so Edwards merged with Tiona to form Orion.

FAUNCE 1962-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Originally, Gentlemen; currently, Dragons
COLORS Carolina Blue and Black (originally Green and White, then Orange and Royal Blue at some point)
NAME ORIGIN After Roscoe O. Faunce, a professor of Speech and Drama from 1934-60
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Daniel Shank
TRIVIA Faunce’s symbol was originally a figure holding a torch and scroll, symbolizing mental and physical development, in front of a green circle, symbolizing eternal friendship, with a ribbon in front that said “Fraternitas Unitas” meaning “United in Brotherhood.”

– 1982 Acacia

STEWART MANOR 1962-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Several over the years: Executives, Sharks, Scotsmen; currently, Lions
COLORS Red and Yellow (originally Powder Blue and White, then Navy and Powder Blue)
NAME ORIGIN After Rolland M. Stewart, the Graceland President from 1904-08
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT James Zimmer
TRIVIA Stewart Manor is one of only two existing houses whose name goes back to the 1956 basic residence unit system.

TIONA 1962-85; 2013-Present
HOUSE SYMBOL Stallions
COLORS Burgundy and Gold
NAME ORIGIN After the Polynesian word for “Zion”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Clive “Lance” Hutton
TRIVIA Tiona dates back to the age of Basic Residence Units, with its origins in 1957. In 1985, Tiona and Edwards merged to form Orion before Tiona returned in 2013 alongside Powell. Since their return in 2013, a new house tradition has emerged called the “Santa run” where house members take a picture with Santa in Des Moines.

Original Women’s Houses

AUDENTIA 1962-79 

HOUSE MASCOT A caricature of a little girl nicknamed “Audie”
COLORS Dark Green and Light Blue
NAME ORIGIN After Mary Audentia Smith Anderson, the daughter of RLDS (now Community of Christ) President Joseph Smith III, the first treasurer of the Graceland College Alumni Association and writer of hymn “The Old, Old Path”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Carolyn Carter
TRIVIA One of Audentia’s house functions was called “Pumpkin’s Pilgrimage” involving a hayride and a party.

BELAVERA 1962-85 

HOUSE SYMBOL A cross with a rose
COLORS Maroon and Cream
NAME ORIGIN After the international language Esperanto’s word for “truth and beauty” which was the house motto
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Rita Novell
TRIVIA The reason Belavera chose an Esperanto word as its name (and the translation as its motto) was because the members of the house wanted to reflect Graceland’s status as an international school. In 1985, Belavera merged with Atara to form Leilani.

– 1977 Acacia

KIMBALL MANOR 1962-79 

COLORS White and Maroon
NAME ORIGIN After Violet Kimball, a woman who played a leadership role among the women supporting the building of the Kirtland Temple
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Sharon Pray
TRIVIA Kimball Manor and Dimora were chosen to combine in 1979 when their names were drawn out of a hat by GSG President Ken McClain. Those houses became Kimora.

SARIAH 1962-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Sailors
COLORS Royal Blue (originally Maroon and Cream)
NAME ORIGIN After a character in the Book of Mormon
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Judith Manning
TRIVIA Each year, current Sariah members hold a door decorating contest during Halloween. The reigning champion is Lexi Zabel, Sariah’s incoming house president for the 2023-24 school year.

SHALOM 1962-Present 

HOUSE SYMBOL Originally a four-pointed star, replaced by the six-pointed Star of David
COLORS Black (originally Green and Light Blue)
NAME ORIGIN After the Hebrew word meaning both “peace” and “welcome home”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Shirley Bigham
TRIVIA When it inevitably snows in Lamoni, Shalomies go out and do snow angels and have a snowball fight in their swimsuits.

The brother-sister house tug-of-war. Solah and Tiona boasted in the 1963 Acacia that they were the first to start this tradition.

SOLAH 1962-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT The house symbol is comprised of the Greek letters Sigma and Alpha, but Solah is known on campus as the Sweethearts
COLORS Red and White
NAME ORIGIN An acronym for the house motto “Sisterhood of Love and Honor”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Margo Montgomery
TRIVIA In 1972, Solah was the first winner of “Spring Sing,” a COSA-sponsored singing competition featuring individual musical performances from each house. Solah went on to win the event for five years in a row. Spring Sing was eventually replaced by Air Band.

TRAVER 1962-85 

HOUSE SYMBOL A capital ‘H’ crossed by a capital ‘T’
COLORS Royal Blue and White
NAME ORIGIN After Ted Traver, a faculty member of English and Speech from 1960-64
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Suzanne Fisher
TRIVIA When Walker Hall closed in 1985, Traver merged with Kimora House to form Amici.

Married Housing

ELECTA / SHADDAI 1962-91 

HOUSE ORIGIN Little is known about why Electa was chosen as the original name for the house for married students. In 1985, the name was changed to Shaddai, meaning “the omnipotent and all-powerful”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Earl Detrick (Electa); Cindy Pitt (Shaddai)
TRIVIA Electa gained a location when Ullery Hall was converted into the Tower Apartments. Married students also maintained a newsletter, originally called The Ball and Chain, a shoutout to the original married social club, which was formed in 1945.

Other Houses Throughout the Years

Over the years, many houses have been created, merged, or ended for many different reasons (new buildings, building conversions, changes in enrollment, etc.). Below is a listing of the houses that have existed at one time or another during Graceland’s history.

Men’s Houses

CHEVILLE 1965-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Gods
COLORS Green and Yellow (originally Green and Black)
NAME ORIGIN For religion professor Roy Cheville #ForRoy
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Roger Hershey
TRIVIA Cheville House was in the initial round of new houses added with the opening of Graybill Hall (then Gunsolley Annex) in 1965. Cheville was also home to one of Graceland’s most infamous (and definitely not fictitious) residents, Rod Dixen, who has somehow roamed the halls of Cheville for over 50 years.

HIGDON MANOR 1967-68 

NAME ORIGIN In honor of then-president William T. “Bill” Higdon and his father Earl T. Higdon, who had also been president.
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Mike Bessonette
TRIVIA Higdon Manor was the shortest-lived house in Graceland’s history, only existing for a single year to accommodate the return of male students to Baker Hall. The following year, members of Higdon Manor joined Cheville.

ORION 1985-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Hunters
COLORS Purple and Green (originally Maroon and Silver)
NAME ORIGIN After the constellation
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Keith McMillan
TRIVIA Orion was formed when Edwards and Tiona merged in 1985. Their original name was intended to be “Hough House” after retiring business professor and interim president Frank Hough, but he declined the offer (a decision he later regretted).

POWELL 2013-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Phoenixes
COLORS Burgundy and Gray
NAME ORIGIN After beloved Dean of Students Tom Powell
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Kyle Macali
TRIVIA In 2019, Powell instituted “Tom’s Diner,” a late-night breakfast in the Gunsolley Lounge after special events.

Women’s Houses

AMICI 1985-Present
HOUSE MASCOT Originally Gumby, a penguin (1986-87), a cow (1989-96), ultimately known as the “House of Friends”
COLORS Purple and Gray (originally, Pink, Gray, and White)
NAME ORIGIN Means “friends” in Latin and Italian
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Lisa Smith
TRIVIA Formed by the merger of Kimora and Traver in 1985 due to the closure of Walker Hall, Amici’s co-vice presidents during its first year were Cheville House members Todd Davison and John Snider, who even appeared in the Amici house picture. Davison also wrote the Amici House Song.

ANANTA 1965-79

COLORS Coral and White
NAME ORIGIN Hindu term signifying “infinite love”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Jane Donnelson
TRIVIA When Patroness Hall was converted into offices in 1979, Ananta was one of five women’s houses that offered to combine to get first choice of location for the fall. Ananta and Audentia combined to create Atara.

APONIVI 1979-Present 

HOUSE SYMBOL Angels (originally a question mark symbolizing the things yet to be revealed in the future)
COLORS Blue and White (originally Cranberry and White)
NAME ORIGIN Hopi for “where the wind blows,” chosen for the Lamanite heritage
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Carina Lord
TRIVIA Formed through the merger of Chemin and Mahana houses, Aponivi debuted on campus occupying the top two floors of Walker Hall before it was closed in 1985. When Walker Hall reopened in 1994 after extensive renovations, Aponivi returned to the second floor, where it has remained since.

ATARA 1979-85 

HOUSE SYMBOL A crown
COLORS Maroon and White
NAME ORIGIN Means “crown” or “royal diadem”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Marjie Lake
TRIVIA Created through a merger of Ananta and Audentia in 1979 when the number of women’s houses had to be reduced by three to accommodate the conversion of Patroness to offices. When Walker Hall closed in 1985, Atara merged with Belevera to form Lelani.

CHEMIN 1967-79 

COLORS Lavender and Burgundy
NAME ORIGIN French for “way,” “road,” or “path”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Sharon Engle
TRIVIA Pronouned “sheh-min,” Chemin was created in 1967 to help balance Mahana House, which was originally set to take over all of Patroness, but the college felt this made it too big. The bonds between Chemin and Mahana continued through the years when they ultimately merged in 1979 to create Aponivi.

DIMORA 1965-79; 2010-18 

HOUSE SYMBOL Originally a letter D with a rose, then a flowering tree with roots spelling “Dimora”
COLORS Originally Cranberry and Mauve, then Black, Cyan, and Magenta
NAME ORIGIN Italian for home
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Marge McCauley
TRIVIA Before it was named, Dimora was known as “the new house” and some members jokingly called it the “Gnu House.” In the spring of 1979, Dimora combined with Kimball Manor to become Kimora. Dimora was revived again in 2011, replacing Leilani.

HANTHORNE 1994-Present 

HOUSE SYMBOL The sun
COLORS Orange, Gold, and Purple (originally Gold and Purple)
NAME ORIGIN In honor of Cleo Hanthorne Moon, Graceland’s poet laureate and college librarian from 1935-45 and again from 1956-69
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Amy Hough
TRIVIA Hanthorne was created due to the expansion in the number of women’s houses when Walker Hall reopened in 1994.

KHIYAH 1994-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Ninjas
COLORS Burgundy and Silver
NAME ORIGIN “Khiyah” means “Mother Earth” in Hebrew and is similar to a Swahili term that means “season of new beginnings”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Kristi Hettrick
TRIVIA One of Khiyah’s first house functions was called “Hooked On You” where house members and their dates were handcuffed to each other for the evening.

KIMORA 1979-85 

HOUSE MASCOT The kittens
COLORS Originally Green and White (later Pink and Black, Navy Blue and White, and Blue and Silver)
NAME ORIGIN The spelling honored the two houses that merged to form Kimora: Kimball Manor and Dimora, but it was also a clever play on words that sounded like Cumorah, an important location in Community of Christ history
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Lori White
TRIVIA Kimora’s house song (adapted from the Kimball Manor house song) was sung to the tune of Far Above Cayuga’s Waters.

LEILANI 1985-2010 

HOUSE SYMBOL A flower
COLORS Pink, Turquoise, and Yellow (later Pink and Turquoise)
NAME ORIGIN Hawaiian name for “flower” \
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Judith Postnikoff
TRIVIA Formed when Walker Hall closed in 1985 by combining Atara and Belavera. Leilani was replaced by the return of Dimora in 2010.

MAHANA 1967-79 

COLORS Yellow and Orange
NAME ORIGIN Tahitian for “sun,” which signified spiritual enlightenment
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT LaDora Cripps
TRIVIA Of the 40 original members of Mahana House, only three of them were returning students. When Patroness Hall closed in 1979, Mahana and Chemin merged to form Aponivi.

PALOMA 1966-Present 

HOUSE MASCOT Doves
COLORS Green and Aqua
NAME ORIGIN Spanish for “dove”
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Sharon Heinlen
TRIVIA A time-honored tradition for Paloma is to ‘P’ the campus, where house members spend an evening placing the letter ‘P’ and the dove symbol on sidewalks and other areas.

Specialty House

McKEVIT MANOR 1970-present 

HOUSE SYMBOL The pin nursing students receive during their pinning ceremony
NAME ORIGIN Named for Margaret McKevit, who was known as the mother of Graceland’s nursing program in the late 1960s
FIRST HOUSE PRESIDENT Pam Duffield
TRIVIA While Duffield was McKevit Manor’s first house president, the first leader of the house was Cathy King, who served as student head resident. It was not until 1975 that McKevit Manor

Painting the Bell

One of the time-honored traditions of the house system is the painting of the Victory Bell. The bell originally hung in the chapel of the Higdon Administration Building before moving to the area just southeast of the building in the fall of 1959.

The painting of the bell originally required students to shimmy up a large concrete and stone tower. In 2015, the bell was moved to its current location just east of the Fitzgerald Fitness Center, thanks in part to the efforts of the facility services team of Bob Kelly, Rob Washburn, and Nathan Craig, whose creativity made the bell visible and easily accessible.

Painting the bell is very much a source of pride for many of the houses. Alumni house members have been known to “claim the bell” upon visits to campus for Homecoming or other activities.

Air Band

The Air Band contest was introduced by COSA in 1984 as an annual competition between the houses. Houses are paired up and perform a lip synched, choreographed stage routine to popular songs. Originally, the event was held in the spring, replacing Spring Sing, which involved live singing.

Over the years, Air Band moved to be held on Homecoming weekend and became a part of the annual Homecoming house competition. Costumes, routines, and themes became more and more elaborate. Now, houses select a movie that they must portray through their performance, using contemporary songs.

At Homecoming 2022, defending Air Band champions Sariah teamed with Stewart Manor to perform the winning routine, their energetic and well-choreographed interpretation of Finding Nemo.

Cheers to 60 More Years

This academic school year marks the 60th year of the house system being in place at Graceland and despite years of changes, disbandings, and merges many of the original names are still in use. Ultimately, the house system is built upon the belief that students can find belonging and inclusion at Graceland. The residence life system embraces the idea that our students will become their best selves if they can find a strong support system. Over the years, Graceland’s houses have seen a lot of change, but their commitment to ensuring students feel a sense of welcome the moment they arrive on campus has remained steadfast.

Share your memories!

We love hearing your memories of the house system! If you have others you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to email them to househistory@graceland.edu.