1. It is 4:30 p.m. I have been dreading this time all day. I am sitting in Reddefor Commons, my eyes scanning the crowd, trying to not look desperate. It is not working. I have that semi-shaky-but-still-trying-to-hide-my-nerves vibe going on. I do another scan of the room. I see the box before I see the girl carrying it. My heart skips a beat. I do not take my eyes of my Pi Chi, aka my rush leader. Girls swarm her as soon as she puts the box down. However I remain calmly in my chair. I can wait a few more seconds to find out my fate. In fact, I plan on putting it off as long as possible. Then I hear my name. My Pi Chi has pulled out my slip. Fantastic. I slowly reach out and clutch the slim piece of paper between my sweaty fingers. I say a rapid prayer. I am not religious, but rush had seemed to have sparked the little bit of piety in me. Please let me see 6 sororities on that slip, please let me see 6 sororities on that slip. I feel like I am moving in slow motion. I unfold the slip. I see 3 names. 3 names that I didn’t even want to see. I feel my heart drop. It is official; I am dropping out of rush. I am not going to be in a sorority.
2. - “I didn’t get invited back to my first choice [sorority] and I expected to be invited back because I felt like I fit in and I had a family friend there.” –Taylor Beatty, 18, class of 2015
- “I got in an argument with a senior in the sorority the first week of college and she decided to hold it against me.” –Taylor Beatty, 18, class of 2015. On why she didn’t get invited back
- “Yes because I had friends in one and the other one I felt really comfortable and the conversations I had with the girls were really good and it just felt right.” –Sam Metz, 18, class of 2015, On if she expected to be invited back to a sorority that she didn’t get invited back to.
3. – “Any action or situation with or without consent which recklessly, intentionally or unintentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, or creates risk of injury, or causes discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule or which willfully destroys or removes public or private property for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a chapter or colony of an National Panhellenic Conference member fraternity.” –Penn State Panhellenic Website
-“Many clubs and organizations at Penn State have yearly or semesterly dues to help pay for their events and activities for their members. Sororities are no different, with dues being used to pay for the upkeep of the chapter’s suite, community service events, scholarships, intramurals, and many of the social events offered. Annual membership dues vary per chapter, but an estimated range is anywhere from $350 to $600 each semester. During formal recruitment, chapters will disclose their financial expectations to potential new members before extending an invitation to join.” –Penn State Panhellenic Website
-11% of Penn State women join sororities –www.collegeboard.org
- 13% of Penn State men join fraternities –www.collegeboard.org
4. Upon doing my research about the rush process, I realized that I was asking another question along with it. Why do girls feel the need to join a sorority? Why is not getting into one worth crying over? I decided to ask these questions in my interview. Another question I decided I need to research further is what current sorority girls or girls who went through with rush feel like they have gotten out of being in a sorority and if they would go through the rush process again looking back on it. I also asked these questions in my interviews, which was very helpful and gave me a lot of insight into my topic.
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