Greek Social Life - Then and Now

[33girl]

Originally Posted by kathykd2005

Hey now! I take offense to that. I graduated in 2005--we had fun, we did it tastefully, and we didn't need to do drugs, have illicit sexual contact, or drink excessively in order to do it!!!

BG & I are around the same age I think, and (I know she'll correct me if I'm wrong) I think that what she means by "modesty" is "we didn't put pictures of it all over the freaking internet." I know I've stated this before on here, but - professional photogs at mixers?? At formals?? We would have NEVER allowed anyone like that into our private events. This doesn't even touch putting pics on the internet - this concept is just so beyond me I can't even wrap my brain around it. I understand that cameras are different and it's the easiest way to share photos, but I certainly don't want Harry Baals from Pigsknuckle Arkansas looking at pictures of me at a toga mixer, even if it's completely innocuous. My pictures and memories of my good times are for my friends and I, not the world. Honestly, download the pics onto your PRIVATE computer and send a PRIVATE email.

Lucky - not SEC, but I got offered coke a few times when I was an undergrad (and no I didn't indulge, I got spontaneous nosebleeds as it was). From what I understand, it's much more prevalent now, everywhere.

[AGDee]

I think, in general, Greek social life and general collegiate social life frequently parallel each other. Although, in this Risk Management day and age, I think that Greek parties are more regulated than general college parties. I know that nobody who has a party at their house is hiring security guards, as is the requirement for many Greek events now. When I was in college (around the same time as Benzgirl), if you wanted to drink, you found a way to drink. If you wanted to smoke pot, you did. The only drugs I was exposed to in college were marijuana and inhalants. Some of the guys were really into whippets (sp?). I think drug use/prevalance goes in phases. After the wild 70's, the 80's college students were fairly conservative. You do hear more about college students dying of overdoses again, which is sad. We also had a huge scare in the 80's, when HIV came about, which did have a huge impact on sexual activity, once it became known that it wasn't just a drug addict/homosexual disease. I think there was a big difference in behaviors from 1983, when I started school to 1987 when I graduated. Some of the things that you generally hear about now, like "friends with benefits" weren't happening then. Perhaps that trend was born from the HIV threat. One night stands were dangerous, but perhaps it was less dangerous if someone is a trusted friend.

Anyway, my real point is, any social trends going on at colleges around the country are going on for ALL students, not just the Greeks.

[Dionysus]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Anyway, my real point is, any social trends going on at colleges around the country are going on for ALL students, not just the Greeks.

I agree. I know MANY non-greek college students and even a few graduate students who party way crazier than the Greeks.

[RushLeader08]

i think that my friends that are not in my sorority are alot crazier than my friends who are also my sisters. when did gdis become even more fun than greeks?! the times they are a changin!

[EEKappa]

Originally Posted by 33girl

BG & I are around the same age I think, and (I know she'll correct me if I'm wrong) I think that what she means by "modesty" is "we didn't put pictures of it all over the freaking internet." I know I've stated this before on here, but - professional photogs at mixers??

We always had Party Pics photographers at mixers and formals, even at our high school dances in the early 80's. Maybe this is a southern thing? The proofs sheets would arrive several days after the event, you'd hunt for the photos of yourself that looked cute, sign your name by them, and then the cost of the photos would be taken out of your house account. Several weeks later, you'd have that lovely keepsake photo with the event name and date on the side.

I know that this is all done online now, but we didn't have computers back then.

[SWTXBelle]

The cry of "Party Pics!" was well-known on our campus 83 - 86. (This was in TX). You could go by the office and order, or the proof sheets would come to the house.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by EEKappa

We always had Party Pics photographers at mixers and formals, even at our high school dances in the early 80's. Maybe this is a southern thing?

It must be, or else a big school thing. We had professional photogs on Pledge Pickup night (aka Bid Day) but that was it - and those events were generally pretty sedate compared to regular mixers (no scaring the newbies!!). When the proofs came back you ordered what you wanted. But at mixers and formals - NEVER. In addition to the privacy issue, we didn't have the money, and we didn't have such things as "house accounts."

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by 33girl

It must be, or else a small school thing. We had professional photogs on Pledge Pickup night (aka Bid Day) but that was it - and those events were generally pretty sedate compared to regular mixers (no scaring the newbies!!). When the proofs came back you ordered what you wanted. But at mixers and formals - NEVER. In addition to the privacy issue, we didn't have the money, and we didn't have such things as "house accounts."

My memory (which, granted, is not always perfect) is the opposite of this -- I actually don't remember any formal pics at Bid Day, but we did always get professional pictures at our formals/semi-formals. I have a whole bunch of those rectangular photos with the big white space on the bottom that had the date/place/name of the formal, etc. I think it was similar to what someone mentioned above, huge proof sheets came back and we had to take turns combing through them to find the ones we were in and order those and the versions of the group pictures we liked... I remember one that caught me mid-limbo (don't ask). I need to dig into some boxes and find my old albums...

[ForeverRoses]

We had photographers at bid day, homecoming (the parade) and at the major date parties each quarter. We didn't usually have them for mixers. From what I remember, the photographers were usually fellow students that worked for the photography company (usually photography majors- go figure). We did have one photographer that was obviously a fine art major- the pictures were all at odd angles and very "artsy". Not something that a bunch of sorority women necessarily apreciated in their formal pictures!

[honeychile]

We had a photographer who came in whenever at least two sororities or fraternities wanted them within two days. That meant Bid Day, Bif/Little Day, All Greek Mixers, Homecoming, Greek Week, Formals, and whenever two mixers happened within two days. That made it wise to ask a few other GLOs when they were planning "big" events. If I remember properly, we got an Index sheet & ordered from those; the Spirit Chair would be allowed to spend x amount on them. They cost roughly $1 each, 6/$5. I can't remember the name of the company, other than we dealt with a guy named Mark from Ohio.

After reading nittanyalum's post, they must have used the same company - or the same style.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by 33girl

It must be, or else a small school thing. We had professional photogs on Pledge Pickup night (aka Bid Day) but that was it - and those events were generally pretty sedate compared to regular mixers (no scaring the newbies!!). When the proofs came back you ordered what you wanted. But at mixers and formals - NEVER. In addition to the privacy issue, we didn't have the money, and we didn't have such things as "house accounts."

Nah. Our school had over 50,000 students, about 2500 Greek.

The photographer that came around the most was a pervert named Warren. He loved to put couples into really strange poses. Not indecent, just strange.

[AGDee]

We had a photographer at our semi-formal and formal dances (1 in fall, 1 in spring) but that was it... not at every mixer. We paid them a small fee and they made most of their money in the pics that we ordered from them. The pics would have the event info at the bottom usually, embossed on it. It's nice to have those now because the date and everything is right on there.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Nah. Our school had over 50,000 students, about 2500 Greek.

The photographer that came around the most was a pervert named Warren. He loved to put couples into really strange poses. Not indecent, just strange.

DA! I meant a big school thing. Editing my post....

[ISUKappa]

Originally Posted by EEKappa

We always had Party Pics photographers at mixers and formals, even at our high school dances in the early 80's. Maybe this is a southern thing? The proofs sheets would arrive several days after the event, you'd hunt for the photos of yourself that looked cute, sign your name by them, and then the cost of the photos would be taken out of your house account. Several weeks later, you'd have that lovely keepsake photo with the event name and date on the side.

I know that this is all done online now, but we didn't have computers back then.

We called them Joe Photo and had them in the Midwest in the late '90s. We still had proof sheets that were sent to the house and we would be charged if one of the (usually assumed embarrassing) photos was torn off the sheet, so that helped keep the lewd photos to a minimum.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by 33girl

BG & I are around the same age I think, and (I know she'll correct me if I'm wrong) I think that what she means by "modesty" is "we didn't put pictures of it all over the freaking internet." I know I've stated this before on here, but - professional photogs at mixers?? At formals?? We would have NEVER allowed anyone like that into our private events. This doesn't even touch putting pics on the internet - this concept is just so beyond me I can't even wrap my brain around it. I understand that cameras are different and it's the easiest way to share photos, but I certainly don't want Harry Baals from Pigsknuckle Arkansas looking at pictures of me at a toga mixer, even if it's completely innocuous. My pictures and memories of my good times are for my friends and I, not the world. Honestly, download the pics onto your PRIVATE computer and send a PRIVATE email.

.

Exactly. I just got tired of people blowing things out of proportion so I stopped answering.

We did have professional photographers at date parties and some TGs. BUT, the chapter president typically edited the cut sheet before anyone else got to it. In other words, any pictures that "displayed poor character" were deleted. Personal photos were with 35mm cameras, which few people had (I did). Today, everyone has a digital camera, so everyone has a gazillion pictures.

We also did a lot to cover up the lasp of judgment that our sisters made (like running in the back door of a fraternity house the next morning with a change of clothes for someone who decided to spend the night with someone not her BF). Drunken pictures still reside in my personal scrapbook. Unless someone breaks into my house and can find it burried in the basement, the picts will not hit the web.

And, for the person who insulted my niece, she in no way hangs around shady characters. She is just not blind to what is around her. If you don't like what she tells me, don't read it.