Let me start by explaining that Pitt was dragged kicking and screaming into the standard NPC rush we now know and love. Prior to that - as in, before the mid 1980's - there was a hybrid rush that is guaranteed to shock and dismay most Panhellenically-minded people!
I'll put comments from the "other side" of rush in Royal Blue.
Upperclass Rush started in mid-September, and was over by early October. Freshman Rush started two weeks later, and finished on November 30th. Total was 55, and Quota was figured by how many seniors each sorority had, allowing for much skullduggery ("but of
course we had 18 senior sisters studying abroad last term!"
) So, if Quota was 10, and a chapter returned with 50 sisters, 5 of them seniors, they could take 15 pledges. If a chapter returned with 50 sisters, and 30 of them were seniors, they could take 40 pledges. Seniors taken in Upperclass Rush didn't count towards Total. Pledge Classes rarely exceeded 10.
During Freshman Orientation, a Panhel Tea was held, where freshman could indicate their interest in rushing. If you did sign up, you received a "Pitt's Greek To Me" booklet, and a Rush Counselor was assigned to you & wrote to you all summer. The booklet had the full composites of
every GLO; I made grand decisions on which sororities I preferred by the number of Greek Letters in their names, and what each wore in their composite pictures! Identical outfits were blah, creative composites more desirable - but mostly Greek Letters (as opposed to Roman) trumped similar dress! Rush Counselors did
not disaffiliate; many rushed their groups quite openly. My RC was from a very small and somewhat struggling (at the time) sorority, and frankly, leaned firmly on all of us to rush it.
Rush itself started with "Panhel Preview", when each sorority would have a table in the Student Union ballroom, with their composite, any recent trophies, scrapbooks and similar goodies. Usually the sisters who could talk to a brick wall were selected to man the tables, and PNMs were encouraged to sign up at each table for rush - even though each PNM was already signed up for all of the sororities to even get into Panhel Preview!
All names & numbers were given to each sorority, but they usually focused on the ones who had signed up at their table.
This was followed by "Chat Dates" - somewhat similar to COR. A sister would call a PNM and set up a time & date to meet with her. They would "chat" and get to know each other - sometimes alone, sometimes at a party, sometimes with a fraternity, sometimes at a sorority table in a coffee shop called the Tuck Shop, where each GLO had a booth (these was being phased out when I rushed).
Sisters had to have at least X amount of chat dates per week.
Then you received invitations to five round parties, then more chat dates, then 3 round parties, then still more chat dates, then Pref, followed by blessed silence - unless you got the dreaded phone call between 6pm-7pm. Bids were handed out the night after Pref, when PNMs stood in line and separately spoke to the Greek Advisor, to make sure she was okay with her bid. She then went directly to her new sorority home, had pledge celebration, followed by an All-Greek Mixer. Have I lost anyone yet?
At the time, there were 11 sororities at Pitt, but one was so small (5 members), it didn't participate. In no particular order, I'll call them:
Diamonds
Pearls
Sapphires
Rubies
Emeralds
Opals
Jade
Topaz
Garnets
Amethysts
I was not only a legacy to one group, but my high school boyfriend's sister had been its President, and two good friends from high school were members. I knew this chapter all too well, and loved it! I had two greataunts who were also members of a sorority, but to this day, I
still don't know which one!
I really should investigate that... My mother really wanted me to pledge her mother's sorority in the worst way - I had seen my grandmother's pin since I was a child. To keep me from possible disappointment, I had also been schooled to believe that anyone not in a sorority or fraternity had rushed, but didn't receive a bid. I knew I had to excel to get that precious bid!
ecam
I should also mention that I already planned to transfer after my freshman year; starting college so young, my parents didn't feel
(correctly!) that I was mature enough to accept my out of state full scholarship. Many of the sororities at Pitt were also represented at W&M.
None of my high school friends were interested in rush, which simply amazed me
(one was even a legacy!), so I made a lot of friends in my Rho Chi group, and through the number of parties we attended. The ones whose opinions meant the most to me were: Ann, Meg, and Lisa.
ETA: I eventually found out that my greataunts were members of the local which became Kappa Alpha Theta at PSU.
Register Now for FREE!
Threaded Mode
