Spring into... RUSH
Hart Hagerty
Issue date: 1/31/06 Section: features
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Versus Magazine Online [Image Edition]
Greek organizations have been prominent on Vanderbilt's campus for nearly 150 years, and today, with forty-four percent of undergraduate students associated with thirty-four chapters, it is evident that "going Greek" still remains a very popular option for students. Even though the chapters make themselves apparent on campus through parties, scholarship, fundraisers, and t-shirts (or by nasty rumors), for some outsiders the details of Recruitment seem as obscure as the Greek alphabet. Revealing what goes on behind the closed doors of sorority houses during Recruitment may be breaking some primordial, Panhellenic pinky promise, but my stimulating experience at Vanderbilt has left me all but hush-hush about Rush. Initially, the word "Rush" does not seem like a fitting term for Recruitment, but after first-hand experience it became evident that the word is a helpful mnemonic to aid the Panhellenic-impaired.
Ready. Be prepared for some of the manic mingling to occur while sitting on the floor; so it is best to keep Victoria's Secret a secret and do not allow a thong to hang out of low-rise jeans. The handbook also advises a girl to dress "relaxed" (yes, the handbook instructs girls exactly "what to wear") during the Display Round. Comfortable does not, however, mean scuffed-up, smelly Nikes (this is Recruitment, not the Rec!). Just before being beckoned into each house, whether smacking their lips with freshly applied gloss, combing their highlighted bangs, or feverishly chewing gum to ensure good breath, potential members exhibit nervous vanity at its zenith. A personal pocket mirror is not the only useful aid during rush; beyond personal maintenance, a Greek Ambassador guides girls through the labyrinth of hectic Recruitment They give valuable advice such as, "Get a good night's sleep!" which translates into, "If you have bags under your eyes, it better be because you were up all night stifling over what to wear instead of suffering from a hangover." However, readying yourself for Rush begins way before the advent of recruitment on January 8th; it also entails that a girl behave herself to some extent during the first semester. Do not get belligerently inebriated at a frat party, dance on a bar, or hook up with a sorority girl's boyfriend. Simple!
Greek organizations have been prominent on Vanderbilt's campus for nearly 150 years, and today, with forty-four percent of undergraduate students associated with thirty-four chapters, it is evident that "going Greek" still remains a very popular option for students. Even though the chapters make themselves apparent on campus through parties, scholarship, fundraisers, and t-shirts (or by nasty rumors), for some outsiders the details of Recruitment seem as obscure as the Greek alphabet. Revealing what goes on behind the closed doors of sorority houses during Recruitment may be breaking some primordial, Panhellenic pinky promise, but my stimulating experience at Vanderbilt has left me all but hush-hush about Rush. Initially, the word "Rush" does not seem like a fitting term for Recruitment, but after first-hand experience it became evident that the word is a helpful mnemonic to aid the Panhellenic-impaired.
Ready. Be prepared for some of the manic mingling to occur while sitting on the floor; so it is best to keep Victoria's Secret a secret and do not allow a thong to hang out of low-rise jeans. The handbook also advises a girl to dress "relaxed" (yes, the handbook instructs girls exactly "what to wear") during the Display Round. Comfortable does not, however, mean scuffed-up, smelly Nikes (this is Recruitment, not the Rec!). Just before being beckoned into each house, whether smacking their lips with freshly applied gloss, combing their highlighted bangs, or feverishly chewing gum to ensure good breath, potential members exhibit nervous vanity at its zenith. A personal pocket mirror is not the only useful aid during rush; beyond personal maintenance, a Greek Ambassador guides girls through the labyrinth of hectic Recruitment They give valuable advice such as, "Get a good night's sleep!" which translates into, "If you have bags under your eyes, it better be because you were up all night stifling over what to wear instead of suffering from a hangover." However, readying yourself for Rush begins way before the advent of recruitment on January 8th; it also entails that a girl behave herself to some extent during the first semester. Do not get belligerently inebriated at a frat party, dance on a bar, or hook up with a sorority girl's boyfriend. Simple!