Page 25 - To Dragma March 1932

46 To DRAGMA
'Panhellenic Ttyshing Ttyles
T)«ry on Qampuses
By A M Y COM STOCK
Former Chairman, N.P.C. Publicity Committee
A L L rushing rules may be bad, as one dean of women, hot and tired from
£ \ the stress and strain of legislative investigations, replied. However, a reading Olson, assistant to the dean of women, "where each sorority entertains all its
JL j L o f the regulations from some thirty college Panhellenics inclines one to
believe that there are at least bad, worse and worst. Quite the worst are the Okla-
homa rush rules. Unless it be South Dakota where one date is apparently allotted
to each sorority in a rush period of three days. Oklahoma is the only campus that
allows 24-hour dates. There are just three dates—all day and all night dates at
that—in the O.U. rush program. There is no period of silence between the last
date and the receiving of bids.
Let's look at campuses where this "necessary evil" has developed to some-
thing resembling sanity. I would cite you to three colleges; they all happen to be
mid-western universities—University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin and
Northwestern. There are other campuses that have most of the better features of
these. The best single feature of all these rushing rules is the initial tea which
every sorority holds on the first day of rushing. The sorority invites to this tea
all the rushees with whom it has any dates. Therefore a rushee will receive as
many invitations as the number of sororities she has dates with. Rushees are urged
by Panhellenic to attend as many teas as possible and instructed to stay not more
than half an hour at any one. Practically every campus uses this excellent method of
introducing all rushees to the whole picture. Oklahoma and South Dakota are
exceptions. Oklahoma launches right into its twenty-four hour a day, three-day
rush period, sending the rushees direct from third date to bid house.
A good many of the colleges divide their rush into two periods of three or
four days each. Invitations to parties in the second period may not be sent until
the last day of the first period of rushing. Usually invitations to affairs in the
first period may not be sent until some date late in August or early in September.
At Northwestern invitations to the initial tea may not be mailed before September
1. Invitations for the rest of dates are sent out after this tea. (Oklahoma sororities
have high school sophomores all dated up.) There are all the way from eight to
twenty luncheons, teas, dinners or evening affairs scheduled within these four to
fourteen days. This gives a rushee an opportunity to accept at least one or two
dates with every sorority that invites her. At Michigan a sorority may not have
more than four dates with one rushee. In cases where three affairs are scheduled
for a day, no sorority shall entertain at more than two in one day. Or a rushee
may attend only one formal party at any sorority house. Again, excepting Oklahoma
( I am sorry to seem to be hard on my own state) every set of rushing rules---
and I have read carefully thirty sets—provides for one day of silence at the end
of rushing, before the bids are issued.
MARCH, 1932 47
Including Oklahoma, and excepting Ohio State, every campus uses the prefer-
ential bid system. Ohio State straddles. I t ought to pull that lame leg over the
fence and stand squarely.
Out of the thirty colleges—and there were as many different systems—the
simplest, yet most comprehensive plan has been worked out at Northwestern. "We
have found that it is satisfactory to have a tea or reception," writes Miss Jean
rushees for short twenty-minute calls, so that in this way the rushee is able to visit
all those sororities which are rushing her and can decide which one she wishes to
see further. Also," says Miss Olson, "our system of having a 'break' between sets
of party invitations, seems to be an advantage to both sororities and rushees."
The Northwestern Panhellenic issues a neat, tight little pamphlet which it
calls "Sororities and You." I t states the case for the sorority, and also the relative
unimportance whether a girl is invited to join one or not. I t contains all the
information helpful to a freshman confronted with the rush season; warns her
to give certain matters careful thought; urges cooperation to observe rushing
rules which are printed in a separate leaflet and advises the rushee to be suspicious
of the fraternity whose members will violate either the letter or the spirit of these
rules.
Minnesota also has a good statement of N.P.C. relations and obligations.
With but two exceptions, the rushing season at all these universities comes
at the beginning of the school year. Stanford and Minnesota have postponed rush-
ing until the second quarter. Of this deferred rushing Dean Mary Yost of Stan-
ford University writes:
"We have tried at Stanford all types of rushing—long and short—and we
have had the rushing at the beginning of the freshman year and at the end of the
freshman year and for several years we have put it in the middle of the year. All
periods have distinct disadvantages, but we have found that they are perhaps less
in the middle of the year than they are at any other time."
For freshman pledging but sophomore initiation, Dean Elizabeth Conrad of
Michigan State College writes:
" I have come to the point of belief in freshman pledging, at least in these great
state universities, the freshman needs the direction and guidance of her sorority at
that time . . . I am a strong believer in sophomore initiation because I think it
makes for a more carefully selected sorority group."
Texas has deferred rushing and pledging. No pledging until grades are in at the
end of the first semester. "The consensus of opinion," writes the assistant to the
dean of women, "seems to be that the average grades are better than in the old
days of short rushing period and pledging in September. That to be sure is a
strong argument in favor of deferred pledging. On the other hand I question
whether many groups refrain from rushing until the appointed time. There is, I
fear, much sub-rosa rushing through the first semester, a most unfortunate condi-
tion."
For the short rush season the office of the dean of women at the University
of California writes:
"Rushing in any form is bad and is the weak point of the sorority system,
because, instead of accenting the ideals and aims which the ritual of every sorority
states, it brings to life petty ambitions, competition and jealousy. I f ever anyone
could invent a plan of rushing which could be undertaken and carried through in
the spirit of good sportsmanship, respect and confidence for the other fellow,
willingness to accept victory without conceit and defeat with self-respect, some-
thina would be accomplished. But this is undoubtedly a counsel of perfection. For
ourselves, at the University of California, a short early rushing season has been
•ound the least damaging method by which to recover from this disease of the
sorority system."
It is hardly conceivable that the women's national Greek-letter societies are
jeady to admit that a "counsel of perfection" is beyond their power to achieve.
. u t it behooves them to look to their codes of honor, their Panhellenic word, given
m good faith to be kept honorably.