Transforming Tradition: The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer

In their final year of studies, many engineering students in Canada eagerly anticipate reciting their obligation and receiving their “ring” as part of the century-old iron ring ceremony (i.e., the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer). Most students are unaware of the specifics of the ceremony or its history until they attend it. The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer has been an important rite of passage for Canadian engineering graduates for almost a hundred years and upholds a culture of engineering that is male-dominated, hierarchical, and elitist, in addition to being implicated in environmental abuse and degradation. Over the last century, the ritual has remained largely unchanged, even in the face of public pressure. As a member of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens, what decision, if any, would you make about changing the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer?