[ComradesTrue]

Round 1 was a blistery hot August day of over 100 degrees. I wore chambray colored shorts, a cute top, and Cole Hans. Looking around, this was pretty standard fare, except that some girls had on casual wrap skirts. I however, was quite familiar with the beating of the wrap skirt and keeping it closed. No way was I going to flash a bunch of sorority girls that I hoped to get a bid from!

We were lined up alphabetically in our Rush groups to go in each house… I was in the middle of our pack. The doors swung open, and then lots of clapping and singing. What had I gotten myself into??? Well, let the fun times begin…

Daisy Duke- my neighbor Michelle from freshman year was a Daisy Duke and she picked me up here. Michelle was just one of those people that you loved being around... and she loved Daisy Duke. She wore Daisy Duke attire almost every day, and Daisy Duke had been plastered all over her dorm room. What stands out in my mind about the Daisy Duke party was that they showed one of those newfangled things called a “video” whereas every other house that day had just done a slide slow. You could tell that the Daisy Dukes really had a lot of fun together and that they were a close knit group. This house was definitely one of my favorites going in.

Chrissy Snow- It was no secret on our campus that the Chrissy Snows were struggling. I knew a few Chrissies from classes and the dorm, and while nice, I never really clicked with them from a personality standpoint. Their chapter size was decreasing year by year, and now only had about 1/3 the number as everyone else. However, when we went into their house, it felt so full! There were people everywhere… alums and actives… and the girl that I was paired with was great! She was so easy to talk to and we got along quite well. But, that is when I was introduced to the bait and switch concept of bringing in actives from a nearby chapter. Hmmm… how are we supposed to know what a chapter is about if we don’t really met the girls in it?

Vanessa Huxtable- this was a chapter that was very well regarded on our campus, and going into Rush this was a house that I was really interested in. I walked in fully expecting to like everything about Vanessa, but then almost went into convulsions the minute I got in the door. You see… they had decided to paint their house over the summer… Blood Red. And with a sponge paint motif. It really looked like someone had smeared blood All Over Their Walls. The girl I was paired with was probably nice, however I honestly can’t remember because I kept looking around for the source of all the bleeding! I started entertaining myself with Horror Movie names, incorporating Vanessa Huxtable in the title…

Tootie - I didn’t really know any of the Tooties very well freshman year, but certainly was familiar with their rep on campus as a chapter known for partying perhaps a wee too much. I was no teetotaler, but was looking for a little bit more in a sisterhood than a bunch of drunk-fests. Walking into their house was a blast, though… they had a very catchy tune (that I sang over and over all day in my head!!), a cute skit, and the active that I was paired with was great! So far today, this girl and house had been one of the best matches for me, and nothing so far gave any credence to the rep I had heard. What a fun surprise that I liked this house so much!

Weezy Jefferson- This was one of the two houses on campus known for having super wealthy members, and in fact was the only house that I was asked what my father does for a living. Hmmm… somehow I was pretty sure that “accountant” was going to be a wrong answer….

Florence Jean Castleberry- So… the Flos on my campus had only been around for 2 years. They were a little bit smaller than the other houses as they continued to build their chapter. The Flos and the Chrissy Snows were known to quietly do COB, which was not seen as a positive thing on my campus at that time. My naïve impression prior to Rush was that the Flos might be slightly desparate, so when I could not immediately find someone to write me a rec, I didn’t worry. It was the “chapter’s responsibility” to find a rec for me, right? Well, imagine my surprise to go to their party and really have a great time! They put on a very classy skit, the actives I was paired with were super nice and I really enjoyed my time at Flo’s. This wasn’t a desperate chapter- they were great! Wait! Oh, no, the rec! Oh, youthful arrogance! Why hadn't I bothered to get that rec?? Hmm… would my strategy work or come back to haunt me?

Laverne DeFazio- I didn’t really know any Laverne’s personally, though I had seen quite a few of them in my dorm Freshman year. This was not a group that I expected to mesh with, and my initial thoughts proved true. The song they sang as we walked in talked about their glamorous lives, but I am personally of the belief that if you have to tell me how glamorous you are, then it may not be as true as you hope. In addition, they took each of us by a bulletin board to show us the Lavernes who were cheerleaders for the local NFL team. I think I was supposed to be impressed by that, but I really just wanted to giggle. Looking around the room, virtually all of the actives had spent just a wee too much of their summer vacation at the tanning salon. Seeing as how my pasty-white skin catches on fire with too much time in the sun… well, this just wouldn’t be the house for me.

Carol Seaver- My best friend was a Carol Seaver. She picked me up the second I walked in the door, and proceeded to say “you are going to meet everyone in the chapter today.” And I did. And boy howdy did my cheeks hurt after that party from smiling so much as I was introduced to so many of her sisters. Whereas in the other houses we sat politely in chairs, and the actives came and bumped, at Carol Seaver everyone stood up and it was more like a cocktail party. Only without the cocktails.

Mallory Keaton- this was one of the top houses on campus. I did know a couple of Mallories and they were all super nice and very classy. Walking into Mallory’s house was a bit different, though. All the other chapters had done upbeat songs, but the Mallories were singing a much slower song. I found that I was unintentionally walking to the beat, and this kept causing me to trip since it was so slow. I loved the Mallories that I met and had a good time in their house. But… since I didn’t have a trust fund, I was pretty sure that my time with Mallory was going to be limited.

Winnie Cooper- This was my last house of the day, so my brain was pretty much mush by then. I do remember that there was a lot of spirited clapping and screaming every time someone said “Winnie Cooper.”

“Back in the day” there was no ranking to do by us rushees. We were to go back to the dorm, get some sleep, and at 7:00am return to our Rho Chi groups to get the list of houses that had invited us back. We would then choose from that list to return to 6 houses that evening.