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Sorority rush week brings fun, friendship and high anxieties
Active members dedicate much time to planning activities and decorating houses, but say it is worth the work
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http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/image...ority.picA.jpg
JONATHAN YOUNG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sister Gina di la Monaco is embraced by a prospective sister on the final night of rush. The night is called Preference because prospective members only visit their top two house choices.

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By Natalie Banach
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
nbanach@media.ucla.edu

All the doors to the sorority houses were wide open, tiny white lights had gone up, and young women were functioning on minimal sleep.

The tension and excitement stemmed from the annual recruitment period, commonly known as rush, when aspiring members visit the houses on sorority row, and decisions are made.

The first week of school gave each female student at UCLA the opportunity to become a member of one of the 11 sororities on campus.

This period, which bred anxiety and anticipation for potential members, also created an atmosphere in which active members worked furiously to set up for each day's events.

"During rush, everyone is really busy. Last night two girls fell asleep standing up as they were taking down decorations. ... Girls are having nightmares right and left," said Melissa Miller, president of Chi Omega, as she was getting ready for a skit in which she would portray the character Miranda from "Sex in the City."

The sororities' process is more formal than that of their fraternity counterparts, and in many ways more intense.

Meanwhile, a sorority member walked up the steps to the house and said she was having nightmares about her computer crashing as a result of working with computerized bid lists.

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While many sorority members say the process is tiring, they also say there is a lot of excitement involved.

"It's great because everyone has to come together. We have 72 girls in our house and they're all here. ... It really creates sisterhood bonding," said Becky Silberman, president of Alpha Phi.

Active sorority members arrived at UCLA anywhere between a week and two weeks before school started in order to prepare for rush.

Included in the preparations for rush, sorority members listened to alumnae talk about their chapter's history, and participated in workshops about recruitment rules.

The Panhellenic Council, an organization that consists of active members from all the sorority houses, organizes the activities and schedules for rush. The council also decides upon the rules active members are suppose to follow during rush.

One of the rules cites that for the first three days of the recruitment period, sorority houses are not allowed to serve food – only lemon water can be served. The reason for this rule and many others is the fear that "dirty rushing" will occur.

"Dirty rushing" is the term used for unfair rushing, when potential new members make decisions on houses they want to enter based on influences such as the type of food served at an event.

"The rules are strict because we don't want to run the risk that someone will taint their perception of a sorority when they see something outside of a scheduled event," said Paige Sawyer, director of recruitment for the Panhellenic Council.

Most sorority members say going through a formal rush forces potential members to make decisions based on the relationships they create, and not on their preconceived notions of sororities.

"One of the problems with the Greek system is that there are so many stereotypes ahead of time. The rules are there to perpetuate a better understanding of the system," said Keri Conner, a member of Delta Gamma.

The four-day rush process, which began Monday, started with potential members visiting all 11 sorority houses, for 35 minutes each.

Following the rushing process is Bid Day, which will occur Sept. 29, when potential new members will receive an invitation to a sorority house.

During rush, the number of houses potential members visit gradually decreases, and the amount of time they spend at each house increases. The result is a greater opportunity to form relationships with active members.

As potential members filed in and out of the sorority houses, which were decorated by themes such as "Hollywood," they were faced with a variety of entertainment options.

Active sorority members said they meticulously planned skits, cheers, dances and songs.

On Wednesday, the Delta Gamma sorority house planned a slideshow in which three screens were utilized, and pictures were shown in sync with music.

Thursday was the last night of the rushing process, which is referred to as Preference. Potential new members visited only two houses – their top choices – for an hour and fifteen minutes each.

Preference, which is steeped in tradition, begins at 7 p.m. when the active members step outside their houses dressed in black cocktail dresses, and proceed to sing to potential members.

While the rushing experience was hectic and extremely busy for all sorority members, many said the benefits outweighed the exhaustion.

"At the end of the night, everyone is proud of everyone else, we couldn't be a house without rush. ... It's all about sisterhood and friendship, when all our hard work comes to fruition," Miller said.