Page 25 - 1908 November - To Dragma

30 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

Something has been accomplished in the safe guarding of rushing
evils by the agreement of all fraternities represented in the Inter-
Sorority Conference, or National Pan-Hellenic Conference, not to
pledge before matriculation. Formerly, girls pledged while in high
school, often at a very tender age, found themselves at a great disad-
vantage when they reached college by being deprived of the f u l l
power of choosing. Many pledges were broken, causing hard feel-
ings which could easily have been avoided by a little less haste.
This was also responsible for a great many floating pledges. By the
Pan-Hellenic agreement, a girl must at least be a bona fide student
in college before she can be asked to give her word to become a mem-
ber of any national fraternity.

The difficulties attendant upon rushing can scarcely be solved
by any universal legislation further than matriculation day pledging,
on account of the varience in local conditions. The larger the num-
ber of fraternities and of girls attending college, the harder it is
to obtain uniform rules for all chapters in the school which can be
kept, without doing injustice to either the fraternities themselves or
the rushees.

In the following lists of rules observed in the various colleges
in which A O I I is located, it is interesting to note the successful
plans for accomplishing the desired result under different conditions.
Where faculty rulings control the situation, the laws are apt to be
more faithfully carried out, even though they may not always seen
the fairest to the girls themselves. On the whole, however, coopera-
tion of the faculty with the fraternities in striving to eliminate the
evils of rushing will, in the opinion of many, eventually prove the
most successful. I n many colleges rushing has become so complicated
that the faculty has used its authority to force certain rules upon the
fraternities. Now i f the local Pan-Hellenic Associations could in
every case invite the assistance of their faculty by representation in
their association, and i f a capable representative were chosen, it
would often relieve the most tense situations by thus providing an
impartial judge and adviser. This might also forestall any forced
action by an unfriendly faculty which would be certain to result
unfavorably to the fraternities.

The plan now in use at Nebraska should have especial attention
as it tends to combine the good points of both the early and late
pledge-days. A council is formed by an active and alumnae delegate
from each fraternity constituting one vote, and a woman of the fac-
ulty is elected chairman by a majority of the fraternities. This
year rushing was allowed from Monday to Thursday of registration
week, leaving a period of three days before the opening of school
to allow the girls to rest and settle down to Work. From then until