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Membership in the society has never been revealed and its initiates take a pledge to maintain secrecy. It has been written that members are students "deeply involved in student organizations and other prominent leadership positions in the
University, a tactic which is suggested to ease the ability of
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The society is accredited with a wide range of activities, from major financial donations to minor humorous pranks. The completed construction of the newest building on the
University of North Carolina at Asheville campus, Zeis Hall, is reportedly possible only thanks to the donation of a large sum
246:. The symbol believed to be linked to the society, a large letter B surrounded by a circle with two hash marks at 45 and 135 degrees, appears on buildings and sidewalks in out-of-the-way locations on campus approximately once every semester.
223:, referring to themselves as simply OBC, was alleged to use the lowest rooms of the castle to hold secret meetings, beginning a tradition of underground meeting places that is rumored to hold true to today.
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on Sunset
Mountain. It was during the period of the college's residence at Seely Castle that rumors of a secret society arose. A small group of students whose possessions included artifacts from the
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The purpose of OBC is "to create, promote, enhance and advance school spirit and university traditions." As of 2013, the group is funded annually with $ 2,000 from the UNC Asheville
Foundation.
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of the
University of North Carolina at Asheville, as well as the present-day owners of Seely Castle. The society is also alleged to have associations with the
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Highsmith, W. E. The
University Of North Carolina At Asheville: The First Sixty Years. Asheville, NC: The University of North Carolina at Asheville, 1991.
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Historically, the group is suggested to have been responsible for keeping the college afloat during the long years of economic instability following the
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Proceedings from the First
Undergraduate Research Conference, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC: Western Carolina University, 1991.
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Roy Arthur Taylor
Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, Asheville, NC: The University of North Carolina at Asheville, 1977.
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Ball, Ewart M. Seely's Castle, D.H. Ramsey
Library Special Collection, Asheville, NC: The University of North Carolina at Asheville, 2006.
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269:. They are held to have begun the traditional autumnal ceremony of the Turning of the Maples, now hosted by the Alumni Office.
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college, as the society has been long associated with projects aimed at the improvement of what has now become the university.
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Plemmons, William Howard. The City of
Asheville : Historical and Institutional. Durham, NC: Duke University, 1935.
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Lindell, D. P. Quirks and Oddities: A History of Asheville's Mysteries. Asheville, NC: ABR Publishing House, 1956.
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It has been suggested that the society is in communication with the administration and
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Montes, L. M. "Underground Connections and Student Unease." The Blue Banner. Jan 1994.
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The original purpose of the group was believed to have been the creation of a public
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Brown, Callie O'Neil. "Crop Circles on Campus?" The Blue Banner. Apr 2001.
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Nine, T.W. "Notes on the Chancellor's Office." The Blue Banner. Apr 2003.
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the society to wield its influence within the University's community."
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179:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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or Order of the Bull Dog. The mascot for the university is the
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Secret society at University of North Carolina Asheville
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213:University of North Carolina at Asheville
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209:Asheville-Biltmore College
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389:Whispers From The Past
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228:liberal arts
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120:Seely Castle
91:Headquarters
215:) moved to
185:August 2023
62:Independent
59:Affiliation
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297:References
277:Membership
259:Depression
250:Activities
169:improve it
211:(now the
207:In 1948,
173:verifying
96:Asheville
267:Cold War
83:Chapters
37:May 1938
30:May 1938
244:bulldog
234:Symbols
167:Please
141:History
35: (
27:Founded
70:Active
67:Status
78:Local
75:Scope
49:Type
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171:by
127:OBC
22:OBC
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