[sugar and spice]

Well, yes and no.

There are thousands of things you can talk about during rush that have nothing to do with the off-limits topics. When I rushed, I talked at length with some girls about why our parents didn't want us to join sororities, drivers' ed, our experiences running track in high school, the restaurants in Madison we loved . . . things that were in no way related to the things you're not supposed to talk about. And now that I'm the rushing side, I've realized that I can tell a whole lot more about a girl from her attitude and the way she answers questions than what we actually talk about.

But the rush conversation is limiting, I agree. There were times when I wanted to kick in some harmless anecdote about some fraternity or drinking but I stopped myself just in time. I wish we could talk about those things just so it would give the rushees a better idea of what the houses are about -- if your house is a social house, you want the rushees to know that! And personally I don't think I'd ever want to cut a girl for talking about drinking unless she started saying stuff like, "Oh my god, I was sooo wasted last night, I passed out in the basement of some fraternity house."

Now obviously, rushees can talk about whatever they want to talk about during rush, it's just that avoiding certain topics will maximize the amount of houses that want them back.

And I still maintain that talking about money during rush -- asking her what her parents do for a living, etc. -- is tacky.