[Cheerio]

SECOND INVITATIONS

Coke party cards were distributed by Rush Commissioners when the Bat Signal shone outside the GCU Student Union. Harriet was destined to visit:

ARCHER: Carbonated beverages had never been part of Harriet's drinking repertoire, yet she bravely finished one-third of a small bottle of cola during her pleasant visit. Archer members studious, with the highest active GPA on campus and recent National Archer Scholarship Awards.

SHAME: Conversations with Shame women semi-serious. Several members progressed room-to-room within their home singing a beautiful Shame rush song Harriet has never forgotten, that to this day reminds her of rush whenever she hears it. Harriet definitely wanted these cordial, fun women as her new sisters. She recognized Panhellenic President/Shame member Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) as she exited Shame home.




PREFERENCE INVITATIONS

Maximum two houses visited, one for dinner and one for dessert (dinner if single invite). Rushees allowed to keep special handmade Preference name tag from each home visited. Harriet received the name tag from:


ARCHER: At a sumptuous indoor feast, carefree exchanges transpired between Harriet and enthusiastic Archer women. Then, twinkling eyes shone on faces of sisters and rushees at an inspiring and traditionally significant Archer Preference Ceremony.



RANKING

GCU Panhellenic allowed rushees to list up to three sororities. Rush Commissioners revealed affiliations before ranking, as it had become an open secret each of the ten rush groups began their journey at their Rush Commissioner's sorority home (Harriet's was a Lord Ffogg initiate).

The groups that stole Harriet's heart were (listed in no particular order) Shame; Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft; Archer. Each woman within those homes made Harriet feel like a member of their family.

Harriet noted multiple rushees wore both Chandell and Joker preference name tags (yes, rushees wore nametags during ranking).



BID DAY!

Distribution of bid envelopes between 10am and 3pm. Rush Commissioners called rushees from their version of The Bat Phone after 3pm if they didn't receive a bid. Harriet's bid arrived at 245pm (whew! she had gone batty waiting).

Every sorority had their own special location on or near campus for new members to gather before being driven---if one were lucky, in the Batmobile or Chief O'Hara's paddy wagon---to special parties/functions for the evening.

Harriet's bid invitation described meeting her new sisters on campus at the arches under the owls.

When she arrived at the designated meeting spot, there were TWO new member groups assembled:

one for Shame;

and one for Archer.

Soon GCU sorority members from both NPC groups arrived to apprehend their newest pledges and whisk them away to their separate festivities. Harriet felt a bit wistful not to have been chosen to become a sister in Shame, but she still hangs an Archer preference name tag from her holiday tree each December.




EPILOGUE

GCU has transformed it's Panhellenic situation since the year Harriet initiated into Archer. Ma Parker and her gang wrote a brief campus history, then ran out of ink. Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft retired after a long medical practice. Shame sadly bit the dust. Mad Hatter had a big head filled with big sisterhood ideas when it tossed itself into the ring, but ended up in the dustbin. And Archer lost its zip and zonked-out.

And in keeping with traditional thought that very few know Batman's true identity, I will not reveal the secret identity of Gotham City University's sororities save Archer, which is Alpha Omicron Pi.