By Kaitlin M. Thaney
As the annual rush week for sororities began last week.”Don’t be just another face in the crowd” was the slogan seen in every corner of the Curry Student Center.
Only four sororities were accepting pledges this year, due to the suspension of the Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority last year for hazing. So many myths and stories have been told of rushing, mainly excluding the positive aspects, such as philanthropy and a community of “life-long friends”.
To fully understand what this experience entailed and to dismiss any untruths, The News sent myself and other reporters to investigate what the realm of rushing was really like.
My task was to find out what really occurs at these events, not to truly pledge to these associations. Each of the sororities brought something different to the table, aside from a different philanthropy and colors. Each had their own dynamic which could be detected as you made your way around and interacted with the sisters. Some people find comfort in these sororities and use them as a way to make themselves less of a number at college, especially at such a large university as the one which we attend. Others don’t need such an organization to find their niche at school.
By missing the first registration night, it felt like someone had already branded me as the outsider because I missed a crucial night of what appeared to be boy-talk over freshly baked goods. With the truly analytical mind that I have, I knew that there was more to some of these girls than the recruitment shirts they were wearing and the colored name tags tacked on top of them.
Did these girls fit the stereotype that I had been exposed to since before I set foot into what, for me, was far too much estrogen in one building? To be honest, I walked in thinking that everywhere I looked would be someone who majored in gossip, boy-talk, minored in hair teasing, the art of nail polishing, and believed that shopping in the Christmas season should be the next event in the winter Olympics. Sorry to say ladies, some women there fit this description to a tee. I’m reluctant to say all, if you’ve noticed.
Oddly enough, I couldn’t spot in the crowd of people one girl with an alternative hairstyle or way of dress. I have to say, it would have been extremely interesting to see if such a girl would be as warmly welcomed as someone who resembled a model from Express. There were some very down to earth people there, some that were very sincere and sweet, genuinely good people. Others would have to go to Economy Hardware to get the right tools to unscrew their smiles at the end of the evening.
Part of the assignment, aside from sitting in different parties [discussion groups], and mulling over our four options, was to decide which chapter our individual recruitment counselor called “home.” For some, this was an arduous task. For others, it may have been evident by certain attitudes, fashion, or chemically colored hairstyles, that pretty much gave it away when looking at photos with blacked-out faces.
As I said before, aside from an abundance of women in the Curry Student Center that night, were some great people.
Sororities may not be my cup of tea, they may never be. To those who find solace in this way of Greek life, good luck, you’re going to need it and I have a feeling it will be a time in your life that you will never forget. It was an interesting week to say the least. In the meantime, I’ll wear my $15 T-shirt and be glad that I was able to share in such an experience.
