A secret organization has claimed responsibility for chalking the stairs of McClelland Hall last month, but students and officials in the Eller College of Management have expressed little concern.

The Sage and Silver Society, a secret organization that says it is tasked with securing funding from alumni and private donors for Eller College, chalked the stairs of McClelland Hall on Feb. 28. Society members, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, said it was an act of celebration tied to their upcoming induction. To the Eller College, it was serious enough to warrant a police report. For the University of Arizona Police Department, it falls somewhere in the middle.

“This behavior is not condoned,” said Joe Bermudez, a crime prevention officer with UAPD. “Although there was no criminal activity, acts committed by a non-sanctioned group are typically viewed as being more serious.”

Eller Facilities Director Merrilee Holmes recalled an incident last year in which the interior of McClelland was papered with flyers advertising the group, likening the act to “ASUA elections on steroids.”

Society members say it’s the UA’s first secret society, though students and faculty members say they have only started hearing about it within the past two years. An email to the Daily Wildcat from a self-identified member of The Sage and Silver Society said the organization’s “main goal is to raise more money for the Eller College and increase alumni donations,” yet in this time frame, the Eller College has not received any donations related to the organization.

“I am responsible for the development of alumni relations and donations,” said David Doubleday, Eller’s senior director of development. “I am unaware of the society’s presence on campus.”

Holmes said he was also unaware of any donations awarded to the college from the organization.

Allison Stein, a senior studying accounting and operations management, said she feels that the society does little to enhance Eller College’s image.

“The ‘celebration’ was completely misguided and not thought through,” said Stein, a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. “I haven’t seen them do anything good. I’m proud of Eller, and I don’t want to see it get trashed in a vain attempt to promote a club.”

The society is not affiliated with the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, nor does it have any official connection to the Eller College.

While Stein feels that the group goes against Eller tradition, Holmes isn’t taking the acts very seriously.

“If they’re a secret society,” Holmes said, “you’d think they’re doing a poor job of it so far.”