Page 23 - 1913 May - To Dragma

180 TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

In February, 1908, the fraternities at Newcomb entered into a
strenuous two-weeks "rush" preparatory to the second-semester
pledging which was being tried f o r the first time. We who were
among those rushed or rushing w i l l never forget i t , and f o r a while
the f a c u l t y promised to be equally long o f memory. B u t after our
treasuries had been emptied, our college work l e f t undone, and our
dignity hopelessly crushed, we came out of the experience much
chastened i n spirit and ready f o r sane ideas. We adopted Sophomore
pledging and made numerous rules. D u r i n g the first year conditions
were not ideal f o r we were kept busy watching each other to see that
no one broke the rules, and we lived i n fear that someone might serve
a better salad than we could at a freshman luncheon.

Then we made a rule to have no rules, or at least a very few
simple ones such as would require much more energy and determin-
ation to break than to keep. O f course we still have Sophomore
pledging, and now work under the model constitution recommended
by the National Pan-Hellenic, though we have made some changes
in this to fit local conditions. W e are not p a r t i c u l a r l y interested
in rushing f o r there are too many other absorbing things ; we have
an informal luncheon i n our rooms occasionally, the cost being too
ridiculous to mention to our over-zealous sisters elsewhere; we meet
the freshmen everywhere and they come into our rooms w i t h as much
freedom as do the Independents; a perfectly cordial spirit prevails
among the several fraternities.

A t present Pan-Hellenic has three interests that are overwhelming.
T h e first is just p a r t l y ours, being so by the courtesy o f C h i Omega.
The alumnae of C h i Omega have established and are managing a
"penny l u n c h " at one o f the public schools o f the city, and some-
times they let us help. Already we are beginning to feel the benefits
which would result f r o m a similar work under the management of
Pan-Hellenic. Our second interest is i n working f o r the cup which
is to be awarded at commencement to the fraternity making the
highest average i n scholarship. T h i s cup is to be given by an indi-
vidual f r a t e r n i t y which modestly insists that Pan-Hellenic be the
acknowledged donor. Finally, under the inspiration of C h i Omega,
Pan-Hellenic w i l l conduct a series o f lectures by prominent men
d u r i n g the spring. These w i l l be open to the public and the subject-
matter, according to present plans w i l l be based upon Greek l i f e ,
art, and literature.

Of course we have not solved the fraternity situation i n general
f o r w i t h us there is no situation. We simply live i n a perfectly
normal way. From my experience in other colleges and universities.
I feel that most of the trouble arises f r o m forced conditions produced