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And I was asked back! (Yes, to XYZ as well.)
I don't remember one pref party, it's been too long. I remember walking into the other one, though, and being surrounded by the smell of carnations. The members were dressed in white with arrows on silver-blue ribbons around their necks. We sat at tables and conversed quietly while the cake was being served...every rushee pulled a wine-red ribbon from the cake and her name was on a tiny card attached to it! (I still don't know how they did it.)
Then they began the ceremony. Each of us rose one by one to take a wine carnation from the garden that surrounded the chapter president. We were seated in a horseshoe with a member standing behind each of us. At one point, each member placed her arrow necklace around her rushee's neck.
I felt like I was home--if the members only thought so too. I had seen too many people hurt on Bid Day (remember Debbie and Cathy?) to feel like it was a sure thing.
And we went to the Social Center and ranked our preferences. For the upperclassmen who were living in our dorm, it would be a long night. Most had had bad rush experiences before--all had friends who had had them--and we couldn't sleep. The rush counselor told us that she would call at a certain time if someone wasn't getting a bid.
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