The history of Stevens is lined with tales of mysterious secret societies. Infamy and mystique often play into the reputations these societies inspire such as with the elusive Khoda, or the supposedly defunct Focus, and even the Anti-SGA, whose sole mission is to undermine the workings of the SGA. While all of these have been revealed over time, only one has so far remained completely within the shadows, only appearing before unsuspecting passersby as a phantom. Some even say that when they encountered this organization, they were not sure if they had encountered reality or a nightmare. Of course, the organization I speak of is the Super Secret Syndicate of Stevens Senior Scholars, which is better known as SSSSSS. Legend has it that SSSSSS only operates at night and navigates through campus using a system of secret tunnels and passageways.
During my Freshman year, while I was exploring the catacombs beneath Jacobus, I found its name scribbled on an ancient granite slab with the word “Beware” crudely scratched into the slab above its name. At first, I did not believe in its existence. At the time, it seemed to me just a legend and nothing more, similar to the Loch Ness Monster or Central New Jersey, but the more I researched this organization, it became clear to me that it was indeed real. My first attempt to research them occurred while I was interviewing an IT staff member who claimed they witnessed them orchestrating the ransomware attack. This staff member, who shall remain anonymous, claimed that, “I saw them all in black robes, huddle over laptops and furiously typing out the code to their ransomware.” Immediately after the interview, I received a threatening letter written on parchment at my doorstep instructing me to “End my foolish search or suffer dire consequences.” Knowing that I was in danger and fearing for my life, but feeling an overwhelming sense of curiosity, I relinquished my former identity and assumed a new one in order to continue pursuing them. I took the name of Cincinnati Jones — a young, budding archaeologist with a thirst for danger.
My first step in this new identity would be to locate a person who only goes by the name of “The Elder,” whom I read about while reading antiquated Stutes. It is said that The Elder holds the key to SSSSSS, but hides in plain sight. Logically, I assumed that the best way to remain hidden from public view would be to reside in a place virtually everyone ignores, so I went to the bookshelves on the third floor of the library. There, I found The Elder, who was quite impressed that I managed to spot them. After explaining my quest and deep desire to uncover this organization, The Elder revealed the key to SSSSSS, which came in the form of a golden medallion with a skull and bones inscribed on it and a bright ruby at the center. The Elder instructed me to attach the medallion at the top of the Torch statue on the fall equinox, and at noon of that day, the sunshine through the medallion will reveal where the members of SSSSSS meet to plan their next objectives.
As instructed, I firmly placed the medallion at the top of the Torch statue during the fall equinox and waited. At the exact second noontime struck; a beam of blinding light came through the ruby at the center. At first, it pointed to the ground, which seemed perplexing, but then the light moved. Gradually, it moved toward the library until it stopped. The beam of light pointed straight at A-Cup. This seemed rather strange as an organization as clandestine as this would surely never choose to meet in such a public place. I decided that I would wait throughout the night, always keeping my eye on A-Cup, and hoping that I will soon figure out why they choose to meet here. People came and went, the sun set and the moon rose high in the sky. In the middle of the night, I saw a long line of hooded figures enter the dark room. One of them pressed their left foot on the floor in a series of rehearsed steps. Suddenly, the floor opened up, revealing a set of stairs that led down to a dark room. After the hooded figures had entered the room, I quietly followed behind them. The steps led me down to a cavern lit only by candles. All of the figures had gathered around in a circle, chanting in a foreign language I did not understand. Up until this point, I thought that my presence had gone unnoticed, but I quickly came to the realization that they had always known I was there when one of them pointed at me and called my name. Not knowing what was in store for me, I tried to run, but I found that the floor of A-Cup had already closed, leaving me trapped in the cavern with them. I had no choice but to face them.
“What do you want?” I called out.
“We only want what is best for our university,” one of the figures replied. A different figure then added on that they had existed ever since Stevens was first formed. One by one, each figure added more information about them. They let me know that I can never know their true identities due to their vow of secrecy, but I could know about their true purpose. It all started when Stevens graduated its first class. The key student and faculty leaders of this first class felt that the following classes would not be “Innovative” enough for us to continue to be the “Innovation University,” so there would always be a secret group of Senior students throughout the history of Stevens, only operating in the shadows and dedicated to making Stevens more innovative. Their recent ransomware attempt was aimed at making our IT department more innovative. Once they had finished their tale, the candles blew out, leaving me in pitch black darkness. I pulled out my phone to light up the room, only to find that all of the figures had vanished when the candles blew out. There I stood, all alone in the cavern. Only one thing was able to come to my mind at that moment: “Beware of SSSSSS.”
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