[Retro 90210]

Recruitment Begins …

The first recruitment event was a “sorority song” where all of the PNMs gathered in the auditorium, met their assigned Rho Chi groups and got a first glimpse of the four NPC sororities on campus. Panhel first started the program with a welcome and review of the recruitment rules followed by each sorority:

Brenda Walsh


Kelly Taylor


Donna Martin


Andrea Zuckerman

The first group to be introduced was Kelly Taylor. I remember thinking how thin, pretty, blonde and athletic these girls were. As they approached the stage and got into formation I recognized JN, a girl that was a year ahead of me in school and shared my first name. In high school, JN was also involved in speech and debate but was even more involved in choir, student government, leadership and a few other groups. Although JN and I didn’t really hang out too much in high school, I was certain that she knew of me and hoped that this might help my chances with her sorority. This sorority was totally put together wearing all red dresses with matching pumps. They were all so tall, really thin, very beautiful and according the rush booklet, had the highest GPA. Their song was much more of a melodic chant with a “daa ... daa… daa…” beat that repeated over and over again as they hit their hands against their thighs. It got progressively louder until they shouted out their letters at the end. I was so incredibly blown away! I couldn’t wait to hear from the other groups but was sure that I wanted to be an Kelly Taylor.

Next up was Andrea Zuckerman. This group was very diverse and didn’t fit the traditional sorority girl stereotype. They were larger “corn fed” girls but they really seemed to enjoy their sisterhood even though their GPA was on the lower end. This group wore all black dresses and sang a song about rainbows or something with accompanying sign language movements. It was beautiful but the whole thing just seemed a little too fake to me. I wasn’t sure if I would be comfortable with Andrea Zuckerman but was definitely interested in giving them a chance.

The third group was somewhat disappointing. Like the last group, Donna Martin was also very diverse and didn’t fit the traditional sorority girl stereotype. They had all different shapes, sizes and colors of girls and seemed to get along and respect each other very well. They tired to match their dresses but there are a bazillion different shades of pink on the market. Some girls wore peachy-pink, some wore baby pink and some wore a strange bubblegum color. I certainly was not very impressed with their attire as they approached the stage. They sung some sort of candle song about a flame or something as they passed the candle around to each member on stage. It was okay but not my style and although I wanted to give them a chance, I just couldn’t imagine myself as a Donna Martin.

Finally the last group got on stage. Brenda Walsh had the most awesome coordinated outfits with matching sleeveless button down shirts, navy blue skorts, gold name tags and hats! They made quite an impression on me. Like the first group, Brenda Walsh fit into my idea of a traditional sorority girl stereotype. They had a very respectable GPA, were beautiful, brunette and slender. Once on stage they sang a remake of a popular Styx song with coordinating dance moves. Even though it reminded me a lot of “Love Boat” I still thought they were so cool! I couldn’t wait to go to their party.

After the morning program, we had lunch in our Rho Chi groups and reviewed some of the rules before the first afternoon of parties. I remember being scared because my campus had (and still has) very strict silence rules. Even though I didn’t really know anyone on campus, I was afraid to talk to anyone outside of freshman seminar or my Rho Chi group for fear of a rush infraction.

My rush group consisted of about 20 girls including at least two sophomores. SF lived on my dorm floor and was a legacy. She seemed to be a bit moody and certainly didn’t fit my preconceived image of a sorority girl. She didn’t think that sorority life was for her but decided to give it a chance at the persistent nagging by her older sister (who I later found out was the epitome sorority chick). Being a sophomore, SF had the opportunity to observe all four chapters over the past year and really liked Kelly Taylor or Andrea Zuckerman. She didn’t think that Brenda Walsh was for her and even though she loved her sister, like me, she wanted to do her own thing and not follow in an older siblings foot steps so Donna Martin was out of the question. The other sophomore that sticks out in my mind was DW. She was super involved on campus and participated in student government, several honor societies and did volunteer work in her major. DW’s appearance would have placed her in Andrea Zuckerman but she was most interested in Brenda Walsh and Donna Martin because of their involvement on campus. She was not interested in Kelly Taylor because she had heard rumors of hazing.

I received most of my tent talk from these sophomores but maybe because I was so clueless, I didn’t really pay attention to any of it. Going into the afternoon of parties, my interest in the groups from first to last went something like this: Kelly Taylor, Brenda Walsh, Andrea Zuckerman, and Donna Martin.

Next Up … Party Days 1&2!