Cutting or pledging a group for dumb reasons - Page 4

ThetaxiUW · #46 07-18-2002, 04:13 PM

Most of these stories involve "this one girl I knew" or "this one guy" but I'm gonna be honest, it was me who did this.

When I decided to rush (informal) I sent out an e-mail to all the rush chairman of almost every fraternity on campus. I think like 28 houses or so. I recieved about 12 or 13 emails back. Called most of them but others I had already visited or known that I didn't want to be there. I talked to Sigma Nu and Theta Chi and Theta Xi and I think Beta's. I was visiting some houses one day and got a call from the rush chair at Theta Chi. He said that they were going out to dinner and that I should come along. So I looked online where it was and left to go ever there. I was walking along and saw Theta Chi. Went in and asked for the rush chair. We talked and he gave me a tour and everything. And then he said that we were gonna go rock climbing tonight and that I should come. So I said I thought we were gonna go to dinner. He asked when he said that. Turns out that I went to Theta Xi instead of Theta Chi. Come on... who hasn't got a letter wrong once in their life. But turned out to be a great mistake. The rock climbing was probably way better than the dinner. Plus we got pizza after anyways.

side note: Considering that fraternities set their house bills at under the dorms (usually), I guess buying friends at fraterities is cheaper than buying them in the dorms.

aephi alum · #47 07-18-2002, 04:52 PM

MIT used to be located in Boston, so a lot of the older fraternity houses (and some newer ones) are in Boston, while other fraternity houses are in Cambridge, a few right on campus. There are also a couple in Brookline. I've seen people refuse to rush the Brookline fraternities because the houses are too far from campus (you have to drive, though both houses have shuttle vans), and I've seen people refuse to rush the Boston fraternities because they didn't want to have to walk across the Mass. Ave. bridge in the middle of winter. (To be fair, that bridge does get very cold and windy - brrr!)

My husband refused to continue rushing one fraternity when he found out the freshman rooms in their house didn't have any windows.

A friend of mine had come to campus as a HS senior for a visit. The admissions office matches prefrosh up with volunteer students, and of course, GLO members are highly encouraged to volunteer. So he was met at the admissions office by a guy wearing letters and saying "C'mon, I'll take you over to Skullhouse." The nickname scared him to the point where he wound up not rushing at all.

GPhiSweetiePie · #48 07-18-2002, 06:32 PM

LOL! This is such a funny thread

. I have a story that kind of goes along with all of these...

I can't remember for the life of me who was telling me about this (I think maybe a recruitment counselor), but she said one of her friends was going through rush and had narrowed it down to three houses. The only thing was, instead of having a first, second, and third choice, she liked them all equally. So, when it came time to make a decision, she decided to go with the house that had the "safest-looking" locks on their doors.

Hope it ended up being the right house for her!

I also remember that when one of my (biological) sisters rushed, she kept getting asked back to a house with a pretty mean nickname, and she ended up cutting them for that.

And as far as weird cuts that I made, the only one I can really think of is that at this one house I kept getting asked back to (actually, the same one that asked my sister back again and again on her campus), the girl that rushed me once had a REALLY crooked nose and it was so distracting! LOL...It's a little mean, I know, but we've all been there.

Colleenie · #49 07-18-2002, 07:43 PM

I cut a sorority during rush because a section of lattice fell on me during the party. Ouch! There were others I cut b/c I didn't like colors and symbols - I had 13 houses to chose from and after a long day of rush, your judgement gets cloudy.
I loved the DG sailor hats during rush and it was probably one of the reasons (they had great girls too) I kept going back to them but on pref night I chose sig kap - for all the right reasons. My sisters would tease me about loving those sailor hats so they bought me one and decorated it with Sig Kap stuff!

CarolinaDG · #50 07-18-2002, 09:21 PM

Since everyone keeps mentioning the sailor hats, just wanted to bring something up a little off-subject...
Our chapter doesn't do the whole sailor-hat thing (even though it's still kind of one of our sybols). But, about ten years ago they did. It's kind of funny, though, looking back at a couple of advisors ten years ago with these goofy sailor hats on their heads. I think it's kinda cute, though, personally. I think the main reason that we don't do it, though, is because it would make us stand out a little too much, and you always take a risk... like we've seen on this board, people either love the hats or hate them... I do admit, though, I sometimes look at pictures of other chapters all in their sailor hats and wish that we'd start doing it... they're SOOO CUTE!

Lil' Hannah · #51 07-18-2002, 09:40 PM

getting farther off topic...

Our chapter has entire sailor outfits in the basement from a while ago when they used to wear them during recruitment...talk about scaring girls off.

now back to your regularly scheduled thread.

PiPhiJulie · #52 07-18-2002, 09:43 PM

I knew someone who cut one of the sororities because she thought the house looked like the Brady Bunch's house (it kind of does though).

AchtungBaby80 · #53 07-19-2002, 11:51 AM

OK, here's my story. I cut the very first house I visited during Recruitment Week because 1) they smiled too much, and 2) because I felt like I made a fool of myself and didn't ever want to go back in there ever again. I guess I missed the part where my Rho Chi described exactly what it would be like when we went into each of the houses, so I didn't know there would be a member meeting me at the door and leading me by the arm into the living room. Well, I walked in that first house, and all I saw was a barrage of lipstick and teeth and it scared the bejesus out of me. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, and I was so intimidated by all those HUGE smiles that I just froze. Then the member came and latched onto my arm and started walking, and I jerked my arm away in surprise and almost shouted, "What are you doing?!?" Well, they must have thought I was the biggest schmuck ever. I managed to carry on a normal conversation for the rest of the function, but I didn't like their skit--it was a 70s dance number and every one of the members had this gigantic fake smile planted on her lips. I remember wondering if they had put Vaseline on their teeth so that their lips wouldn't stick as they were smiling so much. Anyway, I felt like such an idiot that I cut that house very quickly with no second thoughts. Now that I think about it, that was a really dumb reason if you could even call it a reason, but I know I would not have joined that house anyway so I guess it's all right.

DRau · #54 07-19-2002, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lil' Hannah
getting farther off topic...

Our chapter has entire sailor outfits in the basement from a while ago when they used to wear them during recruitment...talk about scaring girls off.

now back to your regularly scheduled thread.

We found these big, poufy, taffata, wine-colored dresses (at least 60 of them) in one of the closets in our chapter house. They looked like an 80s prom explosion. Anyway, we couldn't figure out why we would have 60 matching dresses in our house colors... Until we found the photo albums from the 80's.

Apparently, our actives wore those on Bid Day when the pledges came back to the house and took pictures in them EVERY YEAR!!! God that would have scared me... I'm just glad we had cute little tee-shirts when I was a pledge.

CIAO

bruinaphi · #55 07-19-2002, 07:15 PM

I thought those were the old chapter preference dresses from Gamma Beta? The Epxilon Upsilon chapter used to wear similar ones.

ksig600 · #56 07-19-2002, 07:47 PM

At my school, fall rush is structured, but still more laidback than the non-commuter schools. I had to devise a way to "cut" the fraternities I didn't want after IFC Open House.
I chose my top 3 (out of 5) based on chapter achievements, if I liked their philanthropy (I like doing community service), fraternity age (I wanted to be in a well established fraternity), alumni support, and most importantly where I felt most comfortable.
The most superficial "cut" I made was getting rid of a fraternity because at the time they were a colony, and I wanted to be a part of a more established chapter.
However, when I talked to my girlfriend on Bid Day to tell her who I chose her reply was; "Aren't their colors red & green?"
"Aren't you worried about looking like an elf for the rest of your life?"

In the end, I think I made the right decision

DRau · #57 07-21-2002, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lauradav
I thought those were the old chapter preference dresses from Gamma Beta? The Epxilon Upsilon chapter used to wear similar ones.

They could have at one time been pref. dresses... but we found some albums from the late 80's where they were wearing them on bid day!

They have happily been retired to the downstairs closet!

AngelPhiSig · #58 07-22-2002, 01:01 AM

When we were first founded our chapter had cute little dress suits that were blue and worn with a gold top... I guess it was cool to dress alike back then!

houstonchica · #59 07-25-2002, 04:36 PM

I went thru rush in the mid 80's when I was a junior transfer student at a mid-sized Texas university. I made it all the way until the last round before Prefs without getting cut. I cut one group because I thought they were too hyper during the first round with their jumping up and down and clapping. And, the girl I was paired up with was really short and looked like an old lady to me. As it turns out, she was an officer.
And I had to cut one more so I cut one that had really pretty and fun girls but I thought their colors were too preppy! I just could not get beyond the stereotype of those colors. Well, the tables turned because I ended up only getting invited to one pref party after such a good week of rushing. It was upsetting. To make it even worse, I did not get a bid. In hindsight, I really screwed up during Rush. I should have gone with my heart and picked a group I already fit into instead of trying to fit into one. Does that make sense? Does anyone have a similar story to tell?

carnation · #60 07-25-2002, 05:36 PM

Houstonchica,

What you said ties into a thread I started last year entitled "You'll End Up Where You Were Meant To" or something like that. We had some big discussions about whether you should aim for a chapter you're like already or one that's like you want to be.