In a role reversal from Winter Rush, new sorority members sat in their houses and enjoyed the warmth while fraternity pledges marched through several inches of snow in the Sorority Quads, rotating from house to house singing for Gone Greek Night.
Gone Greek Night is a show of Greek unity, in which fraternities and sororities pair up and eat dinner together in the sorority houses. Under the direction of Panhellenic Association and Interfraternity Council members, the men then travel around the Sorority Quads, waving their fraternity flags, singing romantic songs and fraternity cheers, and presenting sorority members with roses and carnations.
“It’s an opportunity for all of the new members in the sororities and the fraternities to meet each other and have fun while being safe and celebrate their new involvement in the Greek community,” said Panhel Vice President of Programming Erin Neal, a Weinberg senior.
IFC President Jeremy Esposito said he was particularly excited about Gone Greek Night because of the success of fraternity rush, with pledge numbers increasing 10 percent from 2003, despite the loss of a house.
“We’re doing something right,” said Esposito, a Medill senior. “I think this is going to be a celebration not only for the individual pledge class but for the Greek system as a whole because of the outstanding recruitment this year.”
Standing on the porch of Delta Delta Delta as the men started their serenades, Medill freshman Carly Schwartz said she was happy to be finished with the trials of rush and enjoy Gone Greek Night.
“It’s just really fun because we get to come down here and have a house to go to, which is what I wanted since the beginning of the year,” Schwartz said. “If I get flowers it’ll be even better.”
Despite the cold, fraternity members were also enthusiastic.
“I didn’t think it would be as much fun as it turned out to be,” said Paul Overmyer, a Weinberg freshman. “You really get to know your pledge class, and singing to the sororities is fun, too.”
Some fraternities went the extra mile, carrying around musical instruments and practicing their songs and cheers in the parking lot before rotations began.
“We’re the men of Lambda Chi! Who the fuck are you?” members screamed as they thrust their roses in the air before marching back to the Sorority Quads.
After the serenades sorority and fraternity members boarded buses to go into Chicago for an evening of activities including dancing, sand volleyball and bowling. Some houses were forced to improvise when the buses for Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Zeta, Chi Phi and Alpha Delta Pi did not show up.
“Most of our girls went to The Keg or just hung and a few were able to go to the Best Western,” said Medill senior Nikole Muzzy, alumni relations chairwoman for Gamma Phi. “The other houses didn’t mind that we showed up there. I think people still had fun. We’re going to try to reschedule the exchange and do that again.”
Though Gone Greek Night marks the end of Winter Rush, Esposito said he has high expectations that Spring Rush will further increase fraternity numbers.
“We’ve got 310 and I think we could get 350 this year with Sigma Chi coming back in the spring,” Esposito said. “I think we’re showing both the university and the student body at large that the Greek system is a really positive thing that they want to be a part of.”
