[dekeguy]

My dad was telling me about rush in the 60s and it was way different. At his Uni you signed up for rush at the Dean of Students office. Everyone was then invited to the first of three events. First was a 'smoker', basically a kegger, where the prospectives were given a first look at. Dress was normally a sweater over a buttondown with kahkis or cloth trousers like hopsack or lightweight wool. For shoes Bass Weejuns were pretty universal.
After the first 'smoker' they had a culling session to triage the herd into 'probably yes', 'maybe', and 'no way'. Then invitations were delivered to the 'yes' and the 'maybe' groups. The 'no ways' received no invitations and were culled out. These second invitations were to a picnic where the prospective brought a date. Dress was dependant on the weather and could be a sweater or shirt (usually Madras) over 'wheat jeans' or kahkis (no blue jeans). Shoes were normally loafers or boat shoes. The dates brought a picnic basket and the chapter provided beer and soft drinks. This usually went on from about 10:00 AM until 8 or 9 PM with a small band providing music. After the sun went down the chapter grilled burgers and people stayed pretty late since shuttle busses were provided.
Next day there was another culling session and the survivors were invited to a cocktail party, usually held at the home of a very successful alum or at a local country club. Dates again and dress was dark suit or black tie optional. Shuttles were arranged from and back to campus. This was the third and final look over. Next day the bid or ball session was held and bids were delivered to the chosen.
The idea was to see the prospectives in different social settings from laid back to pretty formal, to see how they handled themselves, and to see what their dates were like. One was expected to be outgoing, show some degree of polish, choose a date with some degree of care (talk about the double standard!), tell good stories, and hold his beer or liquor.
Seems very different from today but some aspects of that system were very effective and fun according to Dad.