Rush at Pitt Prior to NPC Crackdown!
 

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!" :rolleyes:) 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.

Oooooo good...sounds like this will be good! I'm ready.

What chapters were there at the time?

Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Zeta
Delta Phi Epsilon
Theta Phi Alpha
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sigma Delta Tau
Chi Omega

Tri-Sigma came the next year, and KD the year afterwards.

It would be terribly hard for me to remember what I wore to what, with all the chat dates. I do know that most of what I wore was immortalized in the Preppy Handbook; my parents often teased me about "Oh, it's a Lily day" or "This day is brought to you by Bobbie Brooks" (this is when Bobbie Brooks was cool). I had platinum blonde hair (such a rebel!) cut just below my shoulders that I wore straight turned under or pulled back with a scarf. Scarves & Quianna were huge; as were Shetland pullovers with turtlenecks, or the standard wool sweater with a shirt underneath. Anyone aspiring to get a bid to a "good" sorority would not have even considered wearing either jeans or a t-shirt until after Rush - it would have been Rush Suicide! This was not told to us by our Rho Chis, it was something we all just knew.

I unknowingly had a hook - a pin that was made for me by another member of an art group I belonged to in high school. It was a huge washer, with a nut, a bolt, a screw, and a smaller washer welded onto it and gold plated. It was very dear to me, and I wore it a lot.

Yay!!! A retro thread with Theta Phi!!! :) And I love the pre-NPC rush craziness! (Although I can't imagine going through it!)

Panhel Preview was interesting in a few ways. One was that I had never seen the Student Union Ballroom http://media.collegepublisher.com/me...t_8j0b1965.jpg (not a great picture, as the crystal chandeliers are covered)

http://www.baltimorestyle.com/images...ittsburgh2.jpg

Even though every sorority was allowed only the same number of people at the table (You had to stand at the doorway and count, as an active), it was very plain to see who were the major players - and my silly method of the summer seemed to play out. I remember wearing a pink plaid kilt/skirt & pink twin set to this, because the DZs made a comment about the pink! Guiltily, I signed up at my Rho Chi's sorority, knowing at the time that I wouldn't really be giving them a chance.

All but two of the Pitt sororities are in one dorm (Amos Hall); the other two were in a duplex just off of campus. All chapters are called "houses", whether or not they're in Amos Hall or a house.

Open Houses were that Sunday afternoon. We met our Rho Chi at the Student Union, then started on our way. I wore light blue pants & sweater, with a navy blazer, a scarf looped loosely around my neck, with my pin anchoring it.

Rubies had an actual receiving line - each PNM was greeted by the main officers (each with a corsage), and handed off to a sister to show her around the house. It was beautiful, and my rusher was upbeat but "posh". There was no mistaking that this was the rich girl's sorority!

Diamonds were next. They had a welcome song, and were peppy and down to earth! You couldn't help but laugh at the patter that was going on as you went from room to room.

On to Opals! Again, a song, followed by a cheer. Very feminine house, with very nice sisters - but I was paired with someone with whom I was a tourguide. She was a sour type, and the only thing we had in common was our jobs.

Jade were like a pep squad on speed! There were about 20 sisters who never stopped singing or cheering, and it made it hard to hear. My ever-so-bright-eyed rusher & I sat down and made puppets out of brown paper bags for Children's Hospital. I remember thinking that, if the kids weren't sick when they went in, they would be when they saw those bags!

Then we went to Emeralds, my Rho Chi's GLO. They were friendly, maybe a little over-friendly due to our Rho Chi. Guess what we did? Right - paper bag puppets for Children's Hospital. I made a dragon, but they didn't have any scissors to allow for fangs. Hmmm...

Topaz did their best to do a door song, but it came off as a cheap imitation. The rusher wore jeans & a t-shirt, and my little group (Ann, Meg, and Lisa) all raised our collective eyebrows. The conversation centered on a topic that could be a give away to the GLO. Then came out the paper bags!

The Sapphires had a very comtemporary house, and very ultra-chic in a Vogue way sisters. While they sang, it wasn't in an inviting way. All four of us mentally cut them immediately.

The Pearls had a door song, and seemed very down to earth. I could go into the discussion we had, but again, it would tip off something about this sorority. I knew it wasn't for me, but another woman in my Rho Chi group sailed through in sheer bliss.

The Garnets had sisters humming a song as you walked in, and you were paired off with a sister who showed you through the house. They were very real, admitting that they were tired from the long day, and we all giggled. This was the only house who disclosed financial obligations from the start.

The last house was the Amethysts. They had a great reputation on campus, sang and cheered at the door, then we sat down to the now dreaded paper bag puppets for Children's Hospital. I knew two of the sisters from campus activities, and thought I was being wise when I suggested, "Why don't we try to get to know each other better, rather than play with the bags?" Meg looked at me in shock, and I realized I blew it!

So, at the end of the day, it was suggested that we make a list, ranking the sororities by how we liked them. We were then told to sit back, and wait for the telephone calls for Chat Dates. I had decided that I would only accept Chat Dates from:

Diamonds
Rubies
Emeralds
Opals
Jade
Garnets
Amethyst

Yay!
 

A thread with Theta Phi AND a school I'm a little bit familiar with? Amazing!

hehehe i probably wouldve said the same thing - four groups doing the same philantrophy project? why??? that is really annoying and boring.

Yay! I can't wait to see where you end up...;)

So, what can be more exciting than a "date" with another woman, who's checking you out? Some of the chat dates from this "round" were:

Rubies took me to the Tuck Shop between classes almost daily. Guys from fraternities that they hung out with were always stopping by. :)
Garnets had group chat dates, where you sat in a sister's room as they got ready, then watched two movies. Sounds boring, but it was fun!
Diamonds also did the Tuck Shop thing, but one asked me to go shopping with her - unusual, but fun.
Jade were also big on the Tuck Shop, and on bringing people to their house for group chat dates.
Opals met me for lunch or for pizza.
Emeralds had a craft night, and also met for cokes.
The Amethysts I knew well "rushed me" from work as a tour guide.

I went on Chat Dates with two members of Topaz, but still didn't feel that they "clicked".

I was dropped by both Sapphires and the Pearls, which I had expected, and Amethysts, which I hoped wouldn't.

Without comparing notes, Ann, Meg, and Ann's roomie had the same schedule. Lisa had the same, with the exception of Opals, which was a hard drop for her.

For the next round of parties, I was invited back to:

Diamonds
Rubies
Emeralds
Opals
Jade
Garnets
Topaz

With the prodding of my Rho Chi, I dropped Topaz and Opals. I dropped Opals with regrets, and more because Ann & Meg were dropping them, too. In retrospect, I wish I had kept Opals for one more round.

You got it, I am definitely shocked. Since there were separate upperclass and freshman recruitments, does that mean that there was a quota plus seniors for both? I understand the number of NMs a chapter may pledge, but is quota the standard # of PNMs/ # of chapters? Then you'd have quota plus how ever many more women you can take because of seniors. And since those extra spots open by the seniors would be taken by women in the same pool, it seems that it would only allow for the bigger chapters to get bigger and the smaller chapters to fall behind. And of course, I am appalled that your Rho Gammas did not disaffiliate! I can see why NPC pushed for the switch, but not so sure why it was "kicking and screaming".

Exactly - it was the huge chapters which fought it, tooth and nail. Only when those nationals involved were threatened with expulsion from NPC (at Pitt) did they fall in line.

The system is different, and it seems ripe for dirty rushing, but it also seems that you'd get to know people more authentically. Those activities are sort of the natural things college kids do as they are meeting and making new friends (although the idea of dropping and being dropped aren't quite so obvious). There are things about it that I like actually.

Honestly, this is probably more in the spirit of what the founders did/wanted than today's rush. But I understand why that wouldn't work.

Exhaustion! By the end of rush, you just hated the sound of a ringing telephone!

I should also add that, each time you were seen on campus by a sister whose house you were rushing, you were under the microscope. If you went to a fraternity party, you had to act VERY circumspect, yet fun. It was a very hard tightrope. My mother had worked her social group, and I had recs to (bless her heart, she acted as if I was rushing at an SEC school!):
Alpha Delta Pi
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Zeta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Chi Omega

The Parties were a half an hour this time:

Ann, her roomie, Meg, and I went on the same run with one exception; Lisa was now rushing on her own. For this round, I wore a khaki pants, a yellow shell, and a navy blazer, with the all-important neck scarf (the designer who had all the links along the edge?) and my special pin.

Our first house was Diamonds. This was a skit round, and after having some punch and cookies, we were all seated to watch their skit, based on a Disney movie which would give it away. Meg found someone from her high school and was thrilled. We all left in a good mood.

We then went to Garnets. The whole room was covered with foil, and chairs were set up as if we were on a plane. We were served snacks from sisters dressed as flight attendants, on those old-fashioned airline trays, and sisters dressed up as various characters sat among us. It was a cute skit, and I loved how comfortable I felt there.

Jade's party was a Mickey Mouse theme. Ann and Meg loved it, but I didn't feel at home there. I was beginning to think that, to be in a sorority, I had to "dumb down" to like these skits. They served corndogs and punch, and again, a chorus of sisters hummed continually.

Emerald did an Alice in Wonderland skit, which started with us having to get down on our hands and knees to "go down the rabbit hole". I was not a happy camper! I can't remember what they served, or the skit, just that I was going through this for my Rho Chi, and I was resenting it. I found out later that Ann & Meg felt the same way.

At last, the Rubies' party. It had a circus theme, and we had popcorn, peanuts, and cracker jacks. Without giving it away, one of the sisters got tangled in a web of cotton candy (I found out much later that it was quite easy to do! They had to have a different sister for each party in this part!), and how her sisters helped her out. The three of us were separated, and we each got to know sisters much better that way.

So, after this round, I ranked the parties:
Rubies
Garnets
Diamonds
Jade
Emeralds

Ann ranked them:
Jade
Garnets
Rubies
Diamonds
Emeralds

Megan ranked them:
Diamonds
Garnets
Rubies
Jade
Emeralds

Lisa ranked them:
Garnets
Rubies
Jade
Amethysts
Emeralds

This time, the Chat Dates became a bit more serious. Finances were discussed, Diamonds, Garnets, Rubies, and Jade all had Rush Mixers with at least two different fraternities - everything was cranked up a notch. Then came the day we were to receive our invitations to the 3rd round parties.

Sometimes a corn dog is just a corn dog. However, I wonder how much scrutiny y'all were under while eating those corn dogs.

LMAO! You never cease to amuse me. :p




I don't think I would have survived this type of recruitment. The chat dates just sound too intense.

Anxious to hear more!

Please say there were shoulder pads!

HAD to be! Honeychile is the epitome of class and refinement but even she couldn't have avoided the horrifying 80's fashion trends. :p

I'm just going to say it: the more conservative preppy stuff from the 80s didn't/doesn't look bad. It's weirdly kind of timeless. If you looked at a lot of the stuff, it'd be hard to say definitively which decade it was from. It's almost like some aspects of clothes from the 50s for guys. Khakis, button downs and v-neck sweaters? Maybe a little boring, but timeless.

Unfortunately, by the late 80s at least where I lived, I'd say preppy had given way to MTV inspired trendy stuff or extreme business wear (shoulder pads, etc.), so I'm amused/horrified by what kids wear on 80s day at school. Apparently for a lot of kids, 80s fashion= brightly colored spandex.

If you've never seen a copy of the Preppy Handbook, it's pretty funny.

You want to see funny, read the book "Fer Shurr! How to be a Valley Girl, Totally!" from 1982. I still have my copy from when I was 11 years old.

Like Oh My God, I was a total dork.

-Tish;)

I remember - teenagers looking like a Talbots catalogue.

My sister worked at the Limited in the early 80's when they were doing monogrammed shetland wool sweaters that we wore with our plaid skirts, knee socks, and clogs (quite comfy, actually).

I remember her coming out to the AOPi house and getting orders from the girls.

Don't forget the turned up collars of the Lacoste (right?) alligator polo shirts!

Fun thread - just a bit after I rushed, so I can relate to the styles!

People still wear those.

Yes, I know - I think here in the Midwest, you saw them a lot then, then not for awhile like other areas. I see them a bit now, still, but not like in the early 80's.

I still have my monogrammed Bermuda Bag . . . not that I use it, but I just can't throw it out!

I would say something here, but I think one more "Not to make you feel old" comment, and SWTXBelle is going to be in the car to Carolina to smack me upside the head....:D:D

what's a Bermuda bag?

http://wirelessdigest.typepad.com/ph...mudabags_1.jpg

ETA: Lily's actually got some cute ones - if I actually carried a purse.

A ladybug one with letters would actually be kinda cute.

Oh I have a Vera Bradley bag that's similar.

I'm shocked.

I couldn't remember what those were called! They actually made good sense for people who were really into accessorizing and wanted a matching handbag for every outfit (or were in 7th grade and had nothing else to do by change handbag covers daily.)

wait, you can change the fabric on those things?

Well, it it's what I'm thinking of, those are buttons at the top of the fabric below the wood. You buttoned on and off different covers. It is a cute idea for people who change handbags.

(I had a couple of co-workers who changed handbags every day to go with their outfits. I'm more of a maybe-I'll-change-seasonally-or-if-there's-some-sort-of-serious-clash, but generally it's too much hassle to switch. With the changing of the covers, very little hassle at all.)

Not trying to hijack...
 

I have to admit I actually have and use my Bermuda Bag purse. It is a Lilly and the covers are reversible (solid color one side/pattern on the other). I also have about 20 other reversible covers in other prints, plaids and solids that match certain outfits I have.

Then again, I am a child of the 70's and 80's and sometimes I wonder if my daughter is going to grow up thinking I am the biggest retro dweeb on the planet.

***By the way what is the cause of my Greek Letters in my signature suddenly reverting back to English instead of Greek?

Bermuda bags make a comeback on GC!
 

If mine were a Lilly, I'd so use it!

Many collegians were carrying bermuda bags at my D's school this year. If only I could have found the original in my parent's attic....

It depends whether your browser has the font you used enabled.

You're right - I still tend to stay with that type of stuff, at least for work. When I walk into a store, the preppy clothes just sing to me! And Bermuda bags? Serious status at the time, especially the Lily Pulitzer or the reversable ones. They were more summery ones to me; I had an Etienne Aigner bag that could easily pass for a brief case - with matching shoes, of course. I still have a thing for Etienne Aigner. Okay, now for a couple examples of this round's Chat Dates:

Three of our choices had parties on the same night, and Ann & I went to Jade first. A sister had made a cake in their letters - the other sisters cooed over it like it was their first born! :rolleyes: Now, this is the fourth WEEK of Rush, and if I was going to fit into my clothes much longer, it was time to start passing on cakes and pizzas - none of the Chat Dates included a gym workout! Ann was smart enough to accept a piece of cake and play with it, but I just passed. We were being rushed by a set of twin sisters, who were just irritating in their squealing. Ann took a forkful of cake and said, "Honey, you have just got to try this!" and I got icing on my face - causing one of the twins to leap up and get a washcloth. Then someone started talking about the joys of being a Jade and Ann rolled her eyes at me. I could hardly contain myself at this point, so when there was a slight lull in the talking, I said, "You have been just too kind to have me here tonight, and I need to get moving. Thank you so much!" and got up. I turned to Ann and in a fatal move, said, "Are you coming?" In her fatal move, she said, "Right behind you!"

Leaving the open mouthed twins, we went to Garnets, where they were having a fraternity party. Meg was already there, and told us that she had asked a few of the guys who they prefer, and got all different answers - but that they all mentioned the houses we liked. Lisa and Ann's roomie were also there. We didn't make it to the third party (with the Opals).

I remember that the next day was a tea at Rubies, mostly because I was wearing an Anne Klein wrap-around dress, and so were the rest of my little group! We also all had ankle-strap shoes on, and a hairband - we looked like the Bobbsey Quads! After the tea, we all retired to Ann's roomie's car, teased our hair nice and huge, lost the headbands, and added more makeup, before going to a fraternity party at Diamonds. Two of the sisters got completely drunk, and one started to cry on Meg's shoulder, saying, "I really love you!!!" Yikes! Did that mean she didn't love the rest of us?

We had been told that the last two rounds were the most important, and somehow, most of us had some quirky invitations! All of us but Lisa had an invitation to Opals, even though we hadn't attended their last party, but Meg was the only one to receive an invitation to Diamonds - even though we had all had what we thought were great experiences there! We had all turned our rankings over to our Rho Chi (the Emerald), as we were supposed to. We had all been borderline rude at Emeralds. We seriously suspected that she had pulled a fast one, and left a note with the Greek Advisor, stating as much - not that it helped at this point.

I chose:
Rubies
Garnets
Emeralds

Yes, Jade had cut me over the cake incident, even though I had a Chat Date scheduled with one that day!

Ann chose:
Garnets
Opals
Emeralds
Another victim of the cake incident!

Meg chose:
Diamonds
Garnets
Emeralds

Lisa chose:
Garnets
Rubies
Emeralds

I went to where I was to meet the Jade, and upon seeing my "date", said something like, "I didn't want to just stand you up, even though we cut each other." She took it well, but I heard a LOT of whispering as I left. The Semi-Final Round was the next night.

Is this why I keep seeing Ws instead of omegas?

I wanted to ask, but it seemed too silly.