Pledged

by Alexandra Robbins

  172 from Maryland to Maine: I confirmed that participants from these states attended in an interview with a member of the National Greek Leadership Association board.

  174 that commercial . . . while fiddling with her pearls: The promos for MTV’s Sorority Life 2 aired in late winter 2003 in the weeks before the show debuted.

  174 In her book . . . voted to drop the pledges: See Wright, Esther. Torn Togas: The Dark Side of Campus Greek Life. Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1996.

  187 No matter the leniency of a chapter . . . beholden to the sorority’s national rules: See, for example, the Statement of Obligation in Pi Phi Forever. A pledge cannot be initiated until she signs this statement, which asserts, among other items, “I am knowledgeable of and in agreement with the Constitution and Statutes, Policies and Standing Rules and procedures of the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity and of _____ chapter’s bylaws and house rules, and I promise to abide by them.”

  187 One sorority guide . . . “kicked out of the sorority”: See Rose, Margaret Ann. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success. New York: Villard, 1985.

  187 “Each sorority has its own standards . . . at the local level”: Interview with Sally Grant, chairman of the National Panhellenic Conference.

  188 certainly no degree requirements: In an interview, Sally Grant confirmed that there are no degree requirements to work in a sorority national office.

  188 who may be stuck in a time warp . . . own active sorority membership: For this reason, University of Alabama Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Kathleen Cramer, a Kappa Kappa Gamma alumna who regularly works with sororities (see February’s chapter), said that the national office volunteers are “struggling with change.”

  188 Campus advisers sponsored by the university . . . educational administration: See Jones-Hall, Jennifer. “The Role of the Fraternity and Sorority Professional.” Advising Fraternities and Sororities, a manual put out by the Association of Fraternity Advisers.

  188 “The most common reason . . . questionable reputation . . . sorority’s guidelines”: See Rose. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success. The phrase “questionable reputation” also surfaced in the 1999 book Ready for Rush.

  188 “Sorority girls do not have sex. . . . revealing clothes must be avoided at all times”: Ibid.

  189 “She may not know that she has broken a standards rule . . . tight jeans”: Ibid.

  189 Kappa Delta warns . . . “judgements and comments about herself and/or the sorority”: See The Norman Shield of Kappa Delta.

  190 To monitor chapters . . . “traveling consultants”: See, for example, Delta Gamma’s description at http:/www.deltagamma.org/cdc.html. The National Panhellenic Conference also has a consulting team that can visit and evaluate any chapter of a national sorority. See http:/www.npcwomen.org/college/c_consulting.php. See also McKee, C. William. “Understanding the Diversity of the Greek World.” Fraternities and Sororities on the Contemporary College Campus. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., 1987. According to a recent Kappa Kappa Gamma brochure, KKG’s consultants, called Kappa Trainers, “are able to present any existing Pathways, Kappa’s Continuous Education Experience program or custom design one just for you. Kappa trainers are a wonderful resource for chapter and association officer training, providing educational programming for your Province Meetings and all leadership training needs.”

  189 Known under names that vary . . . “airports by themselves”: Interview with Sally Grant.

  JANUARY

  203 determine a quota that every house must reach: This is the simplest description of quotas, which can get complicated. For more information on quotas, see the “NPC Quota, Release Figures and Quota Additions” thread in the Rush Forum on www.greekchat.com.

  203 To get these recommendations . . . “the formal recommendation, which is a rec”: See Rose, Margaret Ann. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success. New York: Villard, 1985.

  204 appoint official recommendation boards . . . “may be denied a recommendation”: Ibid.

  204 If a rushee doesn’t know a rec board member: Maryln Schwartz points out that in order to get to know girls who don’t know sisters or have recommendations, alumnae and sisters in cities visit candidates over the summer. “These are sometimes called Trash or Treasure luncheons because alums and members get to know an upcoming rushee and report back if she is trash or treasure,” Schwartz writes. “‘If I had known what goes on during those sessions when they pick the girls, I never would have gone through Rush,’ says one girl who did get in. ‘We had one party that was Japanese and everyone had to take off her shoes when entering the house, which was decorated like a Japanese tea room. At the follow-up session that night, members were even discussing the cheap labels on some of the shoes and who was wearing the expensive labels.” See Schwartz, Maryln. A Southern Belle Primer: Or Why Princess Margaret Will Never Be a Kappa Kappa Gamma. New York: Doubleday, 1991.

  204 advised to prepare a résumé . . . “at a restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard, do”: See Rose. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success.

  205 According to author Maryln Schwartz . . . Ole Miss Kappa Kappa Gamma: See Schwartz. A Southern Belle Primer.

  205 special treatment . . . “steal a legacy”: See Rose. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success.

  206 emergency packs including nail polish, mints, Band-Aids, and tampons: See Vida, Vendela. Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Gang Drive-bys, and Other Initiations. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 1999.

  206 bring in a favorite rushee’s older sister or aunt: See Thornton, Bonnie, and Debbie Thornton. Ready for Rush: The Must-Have Manual for Sorority Rushees! Nashville: Hamblett House Inc., 1999.

  206 each rushee submits . . . how high the names appear on each list: Ibid. (among other sources).

  207 “Will you take my best friend . . . get in anyway”: This example was announced at the mid- Atlantic pre-rush meeting I attended.

  207 Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae . . . “both Laura and Cheryl pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma”: Ibid.

  209–210 At the end of the meeting . . . “shy,” “attractive,” and “loud”: The girls were also given a handout that contained a list of suggested sentences for sisters to say to rushees on Pref night, including, “You’ve seen all our other sides, friendly, casual, outgoing, and now you can feel our sisterhood” and “We’ll still be friends but there’s a big difference in being a friend and being a sister—Friends are now and sisters are forever.” Other dittoes in their packet of instructions reminded sisters of the following: look at rushees when they sing on Pref night, “Don’t waste good sisters on Rushees already sold,” and “SELL LIKE HELL—NEVER QUIT!!!”

  214 rush parties cannot go over . . . “good-looking fraternity boys who pester them”: See Rose. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success.

  214 At some schools . . . speak with their biological sisters outside of rush events: See Thornton and Thornton. Ready for Rush.

  222 determined mothers have taken to hiring “rush consultants” . . . not affiliated or endorsed by the National Panhellenic Conference: Confirmed in an interview with Sally Grant.

  222 six to twelve months before rush begins . . . “one on each hand is best”: See Thornton and Thornton. Ready for Rush.

  224 “How Sororities Judge Rushees” . . . “Physical attractiveness plays a large part in the overall evaluation process”: See Rose. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success.

  225 “I think she would shine brighter in another house”: Less southern-influenced houses might simply say a girl would be “happy elsewhere.” See, for example, Thornton and Thornton. Ready for Rush.

  FEBRUARY

  234 In August 2000, the Alpha Gamma Delta house . . . stories of sorority discrimination: See Auchmutey, Jim. “Ali Davis Loved Her Life in Alpha Gamma Delta at the University of Georgia. Then a Black Student Came Through Sorority Rush and Everything Changed; The Sister Who Spoke Up.” Atlanta Journal and Constitution. February 10, 2002.

  234 From 2001 to 2
003 . . . fraternities in blackface: See, for example, Elliott, Debbie, reporter. Noah Adams and Robert Siegel, anchors. “Two Auburn University Fraternities Suspended after Wearing Racially Offensive Costumes at Halloween Parties.” All Things Considered. National Public Radio. November 9, 2001; Jubera, Drew. “Racist Internet Photos Linked to Auburn University Fraternities.” Cox News Service. November 7, 2001; Wertheimer, Linda K. “‘They Just Don’t Feel Welcome.’ Students Demand Answers after Racial Incidents at UT, A&M; School Presidents Hear Minorities’ Concerns, Fear Lasting Damage.” Dallas Morning News. February 19, 2003; Banerji, Ruma. “Blackface Bestirs Gray Area of Rights, Correctness—No Action by UT Against Students.” The Commercial Appeal. December 10, 2002; Altamirano, Natasha. “National Chapters Suspend 2 U. Virginia Fraternities.” Cavalier Daily. Via University Wire. November 19, 2002.

  235 graduate of the prestigious Alabama School of Math and Science . . . black landowner in the state: All details confirmed with Melody Twilley in interviews. See also, for example, Jonsson, Patrik. “South Wrestles with Segregated Sororities.” Christian Science Monitor. September 18, 2001; Gordon, Tom. “Bid Day for UA Sororities: No Blacks Taken by White Greeks.” Birmingham News. September 11, 2001 (Gordon wrote several articles on this issue); Gettleman, Jeffrey. “The Nation; Sorority System in No Rush to Integrate.” Los Angeles Times. September 10, 2001.

  235 a fifth of the campus—join the UA Greek system: See Zengerle, Jason. “Sorority Row; Alabama’s New Schoolhouse Door.” The New Republic. February 4, 2002.

  235 Residents who aren’t members . . . rarely break into the state’s political and economic elite: Ibid.

  236 “I was glad she was going . . . We thought we could help her”: Interviews, Dr. Kathleen Cramer.

  237 “This is a system steeped in tradition . . . doing a progressive thing”: Ibid.

  237 University of Alabama remains . . . never to knowingly admit an African American: Interview, Pat Hermann; Associated Press. “All-White U. of Ala. Sororities Again Fail to Pledge Minority.” The Commercial Appeal. September 12, 2001. Also, the New Republic’s Jason Zengerle reported, “When Melody Twilley stood in front of the Delta Zeta house last September, it was believed that no white fraternity or sorority at the University of Alabama had ever offered membership to a black student.”

  237 One sister with a white mother . . . her background: Interviews with a University of Alabama faculty member and with Melody Twilley.

  237 in the late 1980s . . . burned a cross on the front lawn of the new house: See Zengerle. “Sorority Row; Alabama’s New Schoolhouse Door.”

  237 “We have one hundred percent illegal segregation here . . . ‘just any nigger could get in’”: Interviews, Pat Hermann.

  240 Alpha Kappa Alpha began in 1908 . . . were founded in 1920 and 1922: See, for example, Ross, Lawrence C., Jr. The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities. New York: Kensington Books, 2000.

  240 One of the main purposes . . . the social status of African American women: See, for example, Nuwer, Hank. Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1999.

  240 National Pan-Hellenic Council: For more information on the National Pan-Hellenic Council, see http://www.nphchq.org.

  240 grew out of “racial isolation” . . . “positive change for Blacks and the country”: See the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s web site at http://www.nphchq.org/about.htm.

  240 Until the 1960s . . . national organizations to refuse membership to nonwhites: See McKee, C. William. “Understanding the Diversity of the Greek World.” Fraternities and Sororities on the Contemperary College Campus. San Francisco, Jupsey-Bass. Inc., 1987. Whipple, E. G., J. L. Baier, and D. L. Grady. “A Comparison of Black and White Greeks at a Predominantly White University.” NASPA Journal. Vol. 28, No. 2 (Winter 1991).

  240 author Rita Mae Brown . . . “Delta colors”: See Brown, Rita Mae. Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser. New York: Bantam Books, 1997.

  240 1963, when federal law prohibited Greek groups from discriminating based on race: See Whipple, et al. “A Comparison of Black and White Greeks at a Predominantly White University.”

  240 Black Greek-letter organizations estimate that 75 percent . . . NPHC sororities or fraternities: See Fine, Elizabeth C. Soulstepping: African American Step Shows. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996.

  240 women as Star Jones . . . Gwendolyn Cherry (Sigma Gamma Rho): See Ross. The Divine Nine.

  241 Patricia Roberts Harris . . . “Delta Sigma Theta which gives me the most security”: See Giddings, Paula. In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1988.

  241 graduate chapters expect each member to . . . “affecting the community in which he or she lives”: See the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s web site at http://www.nphchq.org/about.htm.

  241 the presentation of “Spirit Awards” to . . . Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele: See the event brochure, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 72nd North Atlantic Regional Conference Public Meeting: Spirit of AKA. April 10, 2003.

  241 salmon pink and apple green—the AKA colors: See, for example, Thornton, Bonnie, and Debbie Thornton. Ready for Rush: The Must-Have Manual for Sorority Rushees! Nashville: Hamblett House Inc., 1999.

  242 “Always giving back to the community . . . foundation of the heart of Alpha Kappa Alpha”: The international president at the time was Linda Marie White.

  242 all of the black sorority sisters they interviewed said . . . was a bag of potato chips: See Berkowitz, Alexandra, and Irene Padavic. “Getting a Man or Getting Ahead: A Comparison of White and Black Sororities.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Vol. 27 (1999): 530–557.

  242 thesis about whites in black sororities . . . “has six people and it’s functioning”: Interview with Mary L. Bankhead. Her thesis is entitled “A Qualitative Exploration of White Women in Historically Black Sororities: at predominantly white institutions in the Midwest.”

  242 “Membership Intake Process” . . . as an undergraduate and/or after she graduates: I learned about the Membership Intake Process primarily from interviews with Mary L. Bankhead and Dr. Walter Kimbrough.

  243 attention to scholarship . . . achieved higher GPAs than white Greeks: See Binder, R., M. B. Seiler, W. Schaub, and T. Lake. Greek Academic Achievement Update: Gamma Sigma Alpha and Bowling Green University Partnership. Paper presented at the 2002 Conference of the Association of Fraternity Advisers. Columbus, Ohio. December 7, 2002.

  243 active black Greeks are “the best trained . . . black church doesn’t have it”: See Fine. Soulstepping: African American Step Shows.

  244 “Message from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.” . . . “racial, social, and economic parity”: Cited in Ross. The Divine Nine.

  244 chapters use “the paper bag test” . . . skin darker than the bag don’t get in: See Wiseman, Rosalind. Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence. New York: Crown, 2002.

  244 in 1990 the presidents . . . history, structure, and values: Interview, Dr. Walter Kimbrough.

  244 “old school” and “new school” camps . . . nonpledging sisters haven’t earned their letters: See Fine. Soulstepping: African American Step Shows.

  244 In 1998 . . . bled into them—and then to eat the cereal: See Nuwer. Wrongs of Passage.

  244 In 2003, Virginia Union University . . . taken to the hospital for her severe bruises: See Williams, Michael Paul. “VUU Sorority Chapter suspended for Hazing.” Richmond Times-Dispatch. April 3, 2003.

  244 In many chapters . . . the step show has become more important as a way to prove and publicly display devotion to the group: See Fine. Soulstepping: African American Step Shows.

  244 The NPHC recommends . . . “social justice, and moral messages”: See the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s web site
at http://www.nphchq.org/about.htm.

  245 New sisters are now taught . . . “the status of each group within the social order”: See Fine. Soulstepping: African American Step Shows.

  245 fourteen national Latina sororities . . . National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, which formed in 1998: See NALFO, Inc. Update. NGLA 2003. For more information, see the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations’ web site, at http://www. nalfo.org.

  246 Mu Sigma Upsilon . . . “unity among all women”: See, for example, http://www.geocities.com/ msu_anansichapter/MSUinfo.html and http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Stadi-um/2583/MSU.html.

  247 Panhellenic . . . has yet to reach out to Alpha Delta Sigma: Interview, Melody Twilley. This was the case as of summer 2003.

  MARCH

  254 In May 2003 . . . fish guts, coffee grounds, and mud: See, for example, Black, Lisa, and Courtney Flynn. “Students’ Mothers Charged in Hazing; 2 Northbrook Parents Accused of Providing Beer.” Chicago Tribune. May 22, 2003.

  255 The incident, a hazing rite . . . one with a head wound: See Black, Lisa, and Courtney Flynn. “School Will Try to Expel Girls in Hazing Fracas.” Chicago Tribune. May 13, 2003.

  255 needing ten stitches: See, for example, Black, Lisa, and Courtney Flynn. “5 Juniors Suspended Over Hazing; Students Refused to Sign Waiver.” Chicago Tribune. June 3, 2003.

  255 Seniors shot juniors with paintballs and forced meat down a vegetarian’s throat: See Black and Flynn. “School Will Try to Expel Girls in Hazing Fracas.”

  255 school district expelled more than thirty seniors . . . two parents: See Black, Lisa, and Courtney Flynn. “Former Students Link Teachers to Hazings; Grease Supplied, Court Papers Say.” Chicago Tribune. June 5, 2003.

  255 masturbate with salt shakers: See Rivera, Geraldo, host; Pretlow, Jose, executive producer. “When Hazing Becomes Torture.” The Geraldo Rivera Show. August 8, 1997.

  255 drop trousers . . . in front of a room of fraternity brothers: See Broadbent, Lucy. “Dangerous Liaisons—The Hidden Perils of America’s Secret Societies.” Cosmopolitan UK. January 2003.