Rushing to Change

Posted on February 23, 2010
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Ashley Singh

cornell.jpgThe quintessential college experience is not complete without Greek life. If you’re lucky enough for your campus to have fraternities and sororities, I envy you. This was originally on my list of college demands, but Georgian Court offered the best scholarships. I remember watching that Amanda Bynes movie Syndey White and wishing that I went to a school that had sororities like hers did. Then I thought back to when my brother pledged his fraternity, Delta Chi at Rowan University (http://www.rowan.edu). When I helped him move into the frat house, I was astonished at how disgusting it was: Solo cups everywhere, grimy hardwood floors, and the whole place smelled of beer. I remember wondering, what sort of hijinks take place in this house and how many people have passed out in these hallways? One weekend he came home and said that Rush Week had ended and he couldn’t tell us a thing about it. That’s pretty much where my fascination with the whole thing ended. I had convinced myself that some sort of initiation ritual had taken place, which is why he couldn’t tell us anything, and I’m probably not far off.

I read this article about Cornell’s Pi Beta Phi sorority’s strict guidelines for pledges. The author of the article likened it to the movie Mean Girls, but I think that this is taking the whole thing to another level. Pledging a sorority is a difficult process, and it just adds even more stress to discovering who you are in college, but at the same time, I imagine that it’s a huge honor to be selected to join after the extensive process. On their website, Pi Phi describes the rushing process:

• Round 1 - Days 1 and 2: Recruitment week begins with open houses where PNMs* are given the opportunity to meet the ladies of each of Cornell’s 13 chapters.
• Round 2 - Day 3: House tours are given to the PNMs called back through mutual selection.
• Round 3 - Day 4: Each chapter performs a skit to highlight attributes about its members, and shares its philanthropic activities with PNMs. Girls are given time to connect with another member.
• Preference Round - Day 5: This is the most formal of all rounds where PNMs are asked up to 3 houses. On pref round, PNMs reflect on which sorority is the best fit for them and rank their choices.
• Bid Day: Each new member finds out which chapter she has been invited to join, and New York Delta excitedly welcomes its new members!

*PNMs are Potential New Members

If you’re wondering what the university is doing about these guidelines, Cornell spokesman Blaine Friedlander believes that the sorority hasn’t done anything wrong. He insists that, “The Pi Phis have every civil right to speak their ideas. They haven’t done anything wrong other than issuing fashion guidelines.”

So there you have it. Not only do we have to deal with the media telling us, as women, how we should look and act, but now some of the most influential people in our lives are dictating it as well. If you want to check out the extensive list of demands, click here!

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