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Blondie's Retro Rush Story at Southern Private University
I was recently prompted by Benzgirl to post a retro-recruitment thread, and since this is the time of year where there is a bit of a lull on that front, I decided to oblige. I will post in real time... that is, party details each evening, and learning of my invitations the following morning. Rush at my school was 4 consecutive days, with Bid Day on the 5th. Here we go....
************************************************** **** So… I went to a smallish southern school with a competitive rush... and since it was the early 90s it was known as “rush” and I was known as a “rushee.” I didn’t find the term offensive in the least, and I will use them both here. Recs were a must, which I dutifully obtained. Bids were handed out once a year at our school, right after Fall Formal Recruitment, which occurred the week before classes started. Because of some extenuating circumstances, I was not able to be on campus in time for Rush my freshman year. While slightly disappointed about that, I thought that it could give me a year to get settled, meet some people, and go through my sophomore year. Yeah… somehow I missed that part about it being harder to get a bid as a sophomore!! I knew several other sophomores who were going through Rush, including my roommate Melissa and her friend Amy. There was also “Courtney,” who had gone through as a freshman with her mind set to one specific chapter. When that chapter cut her early on, she dropped out. Now she was going back through, again with the intention of joining that one specific chapter. Our campus had 10 sororities, and we would be attending parties of 10, then 6, then 4 with a Pref Night of 3. Everyone says not to go in with pre-conceived notions… that was kind of hard at our school where close to 50% of the women were Greek, and you felt the presence everywhere. Would my early opinions hold true? Time would tell… Here are the chapters on our campus, in no particular order, named for some of my favorite TV characters of the 80s. Laverne DeFazio Daisy Duke Mallory Keaton Vanessa Huxtable Carol Seaver Tootie Ramsey Florence Jean Castleberry (“Flo”) Louise ("Weezy") Jefferson Chrissy Snow Winnie Cooper And the chapters in alphabetical order: Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Delta Pi Chi Omega Delta Delta Delta Delta Gamma Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Delta Kappa Kappa Gamma Pi Beta Phi Zeta Tau Alpha |
im so excited... more more more
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i thought i knew what school this was, until i read the list of sororities. I can't wait to see what happens
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I think you are right on the school Classic Beauty. I think it is your school.
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Go Weezy, Go Weezy.
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Go Vanessa Huxtable and Winnie Cooper!
Sidenote: Danica McKellar is an ADPi!:) |
I so needed a thread like this! (excellent group of sororities to choose from)
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Mel, Kiss My Grits! (one of the best lines on TV EVER!)
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Yes! I'm so in the mood for another Retro Rush thread. :)
Blondie isn't in the sorority I thought she was though....it isn't listed. :o ETA: Please don't tell me which one she's in, if you know. I love a surprise. tx |
Round 1 (10 Party Day)
Round 1 was a blistery hot August day of over 100 degrees. I wore chambray colored shorts, a cute top, and Cole Hans. Looking around, this was pretty standard fare, except that some girls had on casual wrap skirts. I however, was quite familiar with the beating of the wrap skirt and keeping it closed. No way was I going to flash a bunch of sorority girls that I hoped to get a bid from!
We were lined up alphabetically in our Rush groups to go in each house… I was in the middle of our pack. The doors swung open, and then lots of clapping and singing. What had I gotten myself into??? Well, let the fun times begin… Daisy Duke- my neighbor Michelle from freshman year was a Daisy Duke and she picked me up here. Michelle was just one of those people that you loved being around... and she loved Daisy Duke. She wore Daisy Duke attire almost every day, and Daisy Duke had been plastered all over her dorm room. What stands out in my mind about the Daisy Duke party was that they showed one of those newfangled things called a “video” whereas every other house that day had just done a slide slow. You could tell that the Daisy Dukes really had a lot of fun together and that they were a close knit group. This house was definitely one of my favorites going in. Chrissy Snow- It was no secret on our campus that the Chrissy Snows were struggling. I knew a few Chrissies from classes and the dorm, and while nice, I never really clicked with them from a personality standpoint. Their chapter size was decreasing year by year, and now only had about 1/3 the number as everyone else. However, when we went into their house, it felt so full! There were people everywhere… alums and actives… and the girl that I was paired with was great! She was so easy to talk to and we got along quite well. But, that is when I was introduced to the bait and switch concept of bringing in actives from a nearby chapter. Hmmm… how are we supposed to know what a chapter is about if we don’t really met the girls in it? Vanessa Huxtable- this was a chapter that was very well regarded on our campus, and going into Rush this was a house that I was really interested in. I walked in fully expecting to like everything about Vanessa, but then almost went into convulsions the minute I got in the door. You see… they had decided to paint their house over the summer… Blood Red. And with a sponge paint motif. It really looked like someone had smeared blood All Over Their Walls. The girl I was paired with was probably nice, however I honestly can’t remember because I kept looking around for the source of all the bleeding! I started entertaining myself with Horror Movie names, incorporating Vanessa Huxtable in the title… Tootie - I didn’t really know any of the Tooties very well freshman year, but certainly was familiar with their rep on campus as a chapter known for partying perhaps a wee too much. I was no teetotaler, but was looking for a little bit more in a sisterhood than a bunch of drunk-fests. Walking into their house was a blast, though… they had a very catchy tune (that I sang over and over all day in my head!!), a cute skit, and the active that I was paired with was great! So far today, this girl and house had been one of the best matches for me, and nothing so far gave any credence to the rep I had heard. What a fun surprise that I liked this house so much! Weezy Jefferson- This was one of the two houses on campus known for having super wealthy members, and in fact was the only house that I was asked what my father does for a living. Hmmm… somehow I was pretty sure that “accountant” was going to be a wrong answer…. Florence Jean Castleberry- So… the Flos on my campus had only been around for 2 years. They were a little bit smaller than the other houses as they continued to build their chapter. The Flos and the Chrissy Snows were known to quietly do COB, which was not seen as a positive thing on my campus at that time. My naïve impression prior to Rush was that the Flos might be slightly desparate, so when I could not immediately find someone to write me a rec, I didn’t worry. It was the “chapter’s responsibility” to find a rec for me, right? Well, imagine my surprise to go to their party and really have a great time! They put on a very classy skit, the actives I was paired with were super nice and I really enjoyed my time at Flo’s. This wasn’t a desperate chapter- they were great! Wait! Oh, no, the rec! Oh, youthful arrogance! Why hadn't I bothered to get that rec?? Hmm… would my strategy work or come back to haunt me? Laverne DeFazio- I didn’t really know any Laverne’s personally, though I had seen quite a few of them in my dorm Freshman year. This was not a group that I expected to mesh with, and my initial thoughts proved true. The song they sang as we walked in talked about their glamorous lives, but I am personally of the belief that if you have to tell me how glamorous you are, then it may not be as true as you hope. In addition, they took each of us by a bulletin board to show us the Lavernes who were cheerleaders for the local NFL team. I think I was supposed to be impressed by that, but I really just wanted to giggle. Looking around the room, virtually all of the actives had spent just a wee too much of their summer vacation at the tanning salon. Seeing as how my pasty-white skin catches on fire with too much time in the sun… well, this just wouldn’t be the house for me. Carol Seaver- My best friend was a Carol Seaver. She picked me up the second I walked in the door, and proceeded to say “you are going to meet everyone in the chapter today.” And I did. And boy howdy did my cheeks hurt after that party from smiling so much as I was introduced to so many of her sisters. Whereas in the other houses we sat politely in chairs, and the actives came and bumped, at Carol Seaver everyone stood up and it was more like a cocktail party. Only without the cocktails. Mallory Keaton- this was one of the top houses on campus. I did know a couple of Mallories and they were all super nice and very classy. Walking into Mallory’s house was a bit different, though. All the other chapters had done upbeat songs, but the Mallories were singing a much slower song. I found that I was unintentionally walking to the beat, and this kept causing me to trip since it was so slow. I loved the Mallories that I met and had a good time in their house. But… since I didn’t have a trust fund, I was pretty sure that my time with Mallory was going to be limited. Winnie Cooper- This was my last house of the day, so my brain was pretty much mush by then. I do remember that there was a lot of spirited clapping and screaming every time someone said “Winnie Cooper.” “Back in the day” there was no ranking to do by us rushees. We were to go back to the dorm, get some sleep, and at 7:00am return to our Rho Chi groups to get the list of houses that had invited us back. We would then choose from that list to return to 6 houses that evening. |
For a rush that happened in the early 90s, you sure remember a lot of detail. I actually think that about all of the retro rush threads. When I think about my rush from 2004, my mind kinda goes blank. I remember very little about what happened even in ADPi's parties. I looked at my old recruitment thread and thought, "oh yeah! I forgot that happened." :)
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Exciting!
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I love the detail in this rush thread!!!
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But continue on, Blondie! Just don't be a tease and not tell us the codes! |
Ah this is awesome. I can't wait to read more!
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Invite Pick Up for Round 2. (6 Party Day)
So at 7am we gathered with our Rho Chi groups, and once again had to sit in alphabetical order.
We were handed a sheet of paper that listed all the houses that invited us back, and we could choose from that list the ones that we want to attend. I had spent much of the night trying to decide who to cut… so imagine my disappointment to only see 6 chapters on my sheet of paper. Ugh! (there is that youthful arrogance coming through again!). I would have a full party day, but would not be returning to Vanessa Huxtable whom I had really liked. Perhaps not getting a rec to Flo was coming back to haunt me as I had been cut by them too! (or maybe they just didn’t like me! Who is to say?) The other two houses that had cut me were Laverne and Weezy. While a little bit of a blow to the ego, I knew that I would not choose those houses either, so it did not sting as bad. But… my arrogance/ego was evident as I was disappointed to have to go back to Chrissy Snow. (you had to attend the max number of parties possible) My roommate Melissa had only been invited back to 5 houses. Like me, she was cut by Laverne, Weezy and Vanessa, but she did get an invite back to Flo. Melissa’s friend Amy was also only invited back to 5 chapters. And alas, “Courtney” was again cut by Weezy, the only chapter she considered good enough for her. So she does what every “sane” person would… she transfers to the small non-competitive commuter school in her hometown before school even started. Upon enrolling at this school, she goes through their rush, and gets a bid. Guess who shows up back on our campus junior year wearing Weezy letters??? And then she has the gall to want to affiliate. Unfortunately for “Courtney,” the Weezy chapter at our school did not vote to affiliate her. (yes, that is now 3 times that the Weezies have rejected her, for those of you keeping score at home!) That girl continued to wear her Weezy letters every single day, and would tell anyone who would listen that she “was a Weezy.” I often wonder if it was worth it. She got the letters she so desperately wanted, but did not get any of the sisterhood that comes with it. Sad. |
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I know you didn't go back to her, but LOL at "Florence Jean Castleberry"!!! :p
And the story about the "Weezy" girl is classic (and a great "cautionary tale" for all new rushees!). I knew something written by Blondie would be a fun read, and this thread doesn't disappoint!!! :D |
Poor Courtney! You can only imagine how's she's dealing with Real Life!
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Quoting the "Pink Ladies" from Grease
Tell me more, tell me more...
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No doubt Courtney's behavior was crazy, especially in the transferring schools area, but I also have to wonder what the chances are that a person who loved the group that much would turn out to be a bad chapter member.
On the one hand, I don't think Crying Girl of the weird rush story thread would be a good member. On the other other, if Courtney was otherwise well-adjusted, maybe she would have been a dedicated member of the chapter? While I can related to a chapter not wanting to pledge a girl at the expense of a PNM that they wanted more, it's hard for me to understand when chapters reject, for any but the most substantial reasons, affiliate members who are already members of the group. Maybe I underestimate the number of people truly crazy enough to try to force their way into certain chapters this way. Maybe the chapter gate keeping is needed. |
Well, plus, it's not like she went to the noncompetitive school, got the letters, then transferred to a different competitive school and tried to affiliate -- she went back to the SAME school and the SAME chapter that cut her during formal rush TWICE. No doubt every junior and senior in that house knew who she was and what she'd done (and everyone else from her rush groups too). I wouldn't have voted her in and rewarded her sneaking in through the back door either. Her situation is completely different from a "normal" transfer looking to affiliate.
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And I would go with only marginally-adjusted on Courtney. There were some definite self-esteem issues. She was nice and all, but at times tried too hard, which was annoying. That is not to say that Courtney would not have been a great member at any number of chapters on our campus. But image/perception was everything to her so she closed her options to every chapter except the one she perceived as tops on our campus. |
We want more!
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Yeah, what Baci said:)
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The role of being a chapter member versus a national/international group member is just a complicated thing and withholding affiliation typically strikes me as bad in regard to the larger group. ETA: This is one of those areas where being from a 100+ person chapter colors my judgment no doubt. I suspect that the smaller the chapter, the bigger disruption a badly matched affiliate can cause. |
2nd Round Parties (6 Party Day)
Getting dressed for 2nd round party: I wore a floral skirt with a chambray top and again, brown shoes. We all wore brown shoes back then for some reason. There still was an abundance of wrap skirts among the rushees. Those girls were crazy.
Weather: Sunny and 100 degrees (okay. I admit. I don't remember the weather exactly, but considering where I went to school, let's just say that's a very safe bet!) Winnie Cooper- I was glad that this was to be my first house of the day, since I had been such mush last night when it was the last house. Again, there was lots of spirit, singing and clapping. I did not know the girl who picked me up, but she (and those who bumped with her) were very friendly, and clearly loved Winnie very much. As I looked around the room, I noticed something different about this chapter. Whereas many houses had members who looked or dressed or acted similar, this group definitely had some diversity** and could not be stereotyped. I saw fashionistas, athletes, studious-types, gregarious types, etc. (**I wish that I could say that “diversity” referred more to ethnicity, but the NPC Greeks on my campus were probably 99% Caucasian.) Daisy Duke- I was really excited to be going back here today. I had had so much fun with my friend Michelle yesterday. This time I was paired with a girl that I did not know. She was nice, but much quieter than Michelle and I had to steer the conversation. They did a cute skit and sang a cute little ditty that no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t learn the words. Therefore, I had that tune stuck in my head all day, but just couldn’t pair any words to go with it! I still loved Daisy Duke very much and really hoped that I would be coming back tomorrow. Chrissy Snow. Oh, Chrissy, Chrissy, Chrissy. I was dreading this one, and my fears played out. I can’t remember if the “faux” Chrissies were still there or not, as I do remember that I was paired with a “local” member of Chrissy. A local member who was very socially awkward and painful to attempt a conversation with. Sigh. The members made all of the rushees soooooo uncomfortable because they kept making a huge deal about how we came back. I was even asked “why” I came back. Um, Einstein… I didn’t exactly “choose” to. But how do you say that? Seriously, my heart went out to the Chrissies, and I wished that there were 100 Rushees that wanted to be in the chapter. But it just wasn’t the place for me. Tootie- Yea! I was so excited to be going back to Tootie, and today did not disappoint! Like Daisy Duke, I had been singing their danged songs in my head since yesterday. Therefore I had to be veeerrrry careful not to move my lips while they were singing, as that might just freak them out! I don’t remember much about the party… I just remember my lip hurting from biting it so much during their intro and exit songs! Mallory- This was another house I was pleased to be returning to. I really was impressed with the Mallories because I found them to be a very classy group of women. (side note… everyone with a very Southern, unique, or double name was a member of Mallory… ) They, too, had a cute skit this day, and I really liked the actives that I was paired with. Today one of them mentioned their philanthropy, which is something that I had been involved with, so that is what we mostly talked about. Carol Seaver- my last house of the day, and all day the rushees had been talking about the skit at the Carol Seaver house, so I was very intrigued to finally go see it. They did a Late Night with David Letterman skit, and it was spot-on, including the set. Now, context… this is the early 90s… Letterman is still on NBC after Johnny Carson, and top-10 lists were still a somewhat fresh and novel idea. The concept of the skit was that Letterman was interviewing one of the Founders of Carol Seaver… only they portrayed her disco-era style (complete with polyester suit in the chapter’s colors, big sunglasses, feather boa and outrageous wig). The active playing the founder was clearly very, very funny, and they portrayed the founder this way too. At one point she did the Top Ten reasons to be a Carol Seaver. There was even a part where she danced Elaine Benes style, only this was years before the Elaine dance came into fruition. I can see how it could be misconstrued that this was disrespectful to Carol Seaver’s history, but I can promise you that even with the fun, the Carol Seavers were nothing but respectful with the situation. It was a very clever way to share some of their history, and a very memorable one as well. I headed back to the dorm keenly aware that my head hurt, my cheeks hurt, and my feet hurt. I wanted nothing more than to take a long bubble bath, but like hale was I ever going to soak in one of those nasty dorm bathtubs. |
I am so loving this. Thanks Blondie!
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you are doing a super job!
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Invitation Pick Up for Round 3
I walked with dread to our Rho Chi groups. We had to be there at 7am sharp, however, the thing that I distinctly remember this time was that we had to wait an hour for our invitations. This is because one of the chapters had been late getting their lists in. Grrrrrr. (whispers among the Rho Chis was that is was the Mallories.... hmmm... maybe I didn't like them so much after all!)
Finally the head Rho Chi shows up with our invitations. I had not been expecting all the cuts the day before, so I just hoped that some of my favorites were left. Of the 6 houses yesterday, we could return to up to 4 today. I opened my sheet to see 5 names: Carol Seaver Winnie Cooper Tootie Ramsey Mallory Keaton Chrissy Snow My first thought was yay! Five invitations! I can cut one this time! Then I realized that the house missing was Daisy Duke. Oh, this was disappointing, but after yesterday it was much easier to roll with the punches. I marked that I would return to all but Chrissy and happily turned in my sheet. By this point I had met quite a few sophomores going through Rush, and the cuts had been harsh. While I won’t lie that it certainly bruised my ego to keep getting cut from chapters that I liked, I soon became aware that I was one of only a few sophomores to even have a full schedule each day. For this I was grateful, and I just kept reminding myself to hold my head high. With 4 great houses left, it was now so much easier to focus on the chapters that I would be attending and not the ones that I would not. |
I love this thread! These retro stories are so much fun!
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gotta love the wrap skirts-I think I had at least 20 of them if not more :)
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just checking back in and can't wait for more.
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^ co sign
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Round 3 (4 Party day)
For this day I wore a blue and white dress with blue heels. Oh, and the dress had very big shoulder pads. Looking back I am mortified. No more wrap skirts for the other rushees, thank goodness. Pretty much everyone was in a dress by now.
The parties this night were a bit longer (45 minutes, I think?) and things are getting more serious. Carol Seaver- My best friend had picked me up the first day, and since the Letterman sketch was so long on Round 2, we didn’t really have much time to talk to the actives during that party. So… it’s now Round 3 and I don’t feel like I know anyone in this house except my friend, who I would be friends with anyway. Hmmm. Okay, the up –side with Carol is that I was paired with a fantastic junior this day, and then was bumped by some other great sisters too whom I would certainly enjoy hanging out with. The mood was light and easy (okay that sounds as if Kenny G is off playing in the corner!) and what stood out was that everyone just seemed to be having fun with each other, even as the parties were getting more serious. There was nothing pretentious about Carol, but a place where you could feel right at home with no make-up while eating cookie dough straight from the package. I wished that I could muster some warm fuzzies about Carol, but I did have a sense that there was something to like about her. Mallory Keaton- Okay. You know how in Sixteen Candles Jake Ryan can have his choice of any girl in the school? And while Samantha pines away for him, she just feels that he is not in her league? But by the end of the movie he sees “something” in Samantha? Well, that is how I feel about Mallory continuing to invite me back. Let’s be honest. Virtually every Malllory is a beautiful debutante, and I am, well Samantha. Is it a mistake that I keep getting invited back, or do they really just like “me” for “me.” I am loving my time at Mallory, and not just for the superficial reasons. I really do like that the members really carry themselves with class, which is something that I try to do as well. They are so nice and (most) are very down to earth. It is easy to see the tight knit group that they are, and I am finding that I want to be a part of that too. (special note… I spelled “a part” correctly! Just wanted to point that out…) Tootie- Wow, for the first time I am starting to “feel” sisterhood. The girl who picked me up day one came over to briefly say hello, but I spent most of the time with a sister that I had not met before. Later, 2 of the sisters I had met yesterday came over to welcome me back. It was amazing to me how easy it was to click with the girls in this chapter. .. every single person I had talked to for 3 days was someone that I would love hanging out with. This was the first party/house where I really started opening up a bit and feeling like I could be a part of their sisterhood. I still had this nagging thing in the back of my mind about the reports of very hard partying, and how/if I could fit into that, or even if I wanted to. (let’s just say that my school probably won’t “ever” make the top party campuses list, and it was completely acceptable to be somewhat of a light drinker. To have a chapter stigmatized with an “out of control” rep was very rare and a pretty negative thing). I did try to delicately ask questions about date parties, mixers, etc., to see if I could get a better sense of things from this active. Her responses were very reassuring, which pleased me greatly. I loved Tootie and was actually starting to see myself here. Winnie- I am having the opposite reaction with Winnie… I am meeting some nice people, but no one is really standing out in my mind from day to day, nor do I feel a strong connection to any of them. Can’t quite put my finger on it. It is not that there is anything wrong with Winnie… I just didn’t have strong feelings for her right now. By now all the Rushees were pretty stressed out and there was a more somber mood as we walked back to the dorms. I found Melissa and Amy and walked back with them. They both like Flo the best, and are really hoping for bids from her. I told them that I was more confused than ever. I had 3 chapters that I would love to join, but for very different reasons, and how to sort that out? Well, there was still one more day of invitations, so no point in getting ahead of the game. Things could still all come crumbling down…. |
Hmmm, will have to wait!
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This is so good. I know our school. I think I have everyone picked but not for sure on one.
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Great reporting, Blondie93! I *think* I caught your clue!
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Is it tearing everyone else up a bit to keep waiting? ;) I still remember what I wore for my first rush in 95... Yep, 95.
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95...kid's stuff..this is frightening,,i remember a dusty pink dress with white sling back heels i wore in 1970 for rush. i also remember, unfortunately, what i wore for pref, the fact that i got a bid was despite the outfit...................
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