The future of the crush party
“Panhellenic unity” took on new meaning Tuesday when Theta and Gamma Phi hosted a joint crush party at Dream in Lincoln Park. The presidents of the two “unified chapters” are already finishing each other’s sentences: Theta President Eliza McNabb’s comment (“We thought it would be fun because lots of our members are friends”) echoes Gamma Phi President Amanda Swanson’s “Our chapters have a lot of friends in common.” The sororities shared the cost of the venue but each paid for its own buses and wristbands (a risk management decision, so each sorority is responsible for its own comatose/injured attendees). Each girl invited only one crush (two is typical); the estimated turnout was 200 to 300. But the real question: Will the drunken bonding continue? “We’d definitely do it again,” McNabb says. And Swanson says, “I would definitely.” But don’t worry, hopeful frat boys. Your potential invites are not disappearing, but multiplying: Both Theta and Gamma Phi will follow this joint crush party with the usual fall social line up.
Indian dance teams robbing the sorority playbook?
We knew sororities were into playing dirty, but multicultural student group dance teams? Last year, the South Asian Student Alliance (SASA) revamped its audition process for wannabe Bhangra boys and Deevas of NU. Now, prospective members rank the teams they tried out for and teams rank the dancers they saw. Sound familiar? (Hint: sorority recruitment.) And it’s only getting worse-they’ve begun to incorporate an old Greek standby: alcohol. To woo their favorite auditioning dancers, some of the four SASA teams have been throwing parties – one of which was even held during another team’s tryouts. “They’re getting the freshmen drunk to make them like their team,” says one disgruntled dance team member. The top girls are especially in demand since two of the SASA teams are female-only. At least they’re “rushing” based on actual skills instead of keg stands and designer bags… for now? Keep it clean, SASA!
Swine overload
Some sorority houses on campus have taken in their H1N1-infected members for a proper quarantining, and remaining rooms are occupied with girls seeking solace from their sickly roommates. Why have Greek houses assumed this role, you ask, when there’s a swine flu ward in a residence hall? The fact that the Res Life office is too busy to even call us back is a good indication – they’re swamped. And not only is the University unable to handle the piles of quarantining requests, but the CDC cut funding for the blood tests that determine if the swine flu virus is present. So if you have a low-grade fever and a cough, don’t head to Searle – they’ll give you a questionnaire but refuse to test you. We don’t ask you for much, but we’re asking this now: If you’re sick, find a hole and lock yourself up. If not, it’s time to respond to that student insurance email.
