University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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OCTOBER BUTTON, BUTTON Occasionally several emblems appear upon the scene simultaneously, with the problem settled far in advance By CLAVELLE HOLDEN WHEN the smoke of the rush week battle cleared away there stood four hundred and fifty neo- phytes with their halos removed and in their place a small, unimportant badge signifying pledgeship. After the usual hectic battle of mud-slinging and word- swapping the hellenic warriors declared an end to another great and worthwhile struggle no different than any in the history of rush weeks in that not a single admission of defeat reached the ears of rival Greeks. So when everybody wins and nobody loses, hard feelings should be a thing unheard of and any remarks published herein labelled purely as ' rush week prattle. The most talked of story to reach our ears was one from the Phi Delt chapter. They must have made it a pledge duty for their freshmen to tell everyone they met. To begin with, the rushee was from Arkansas City, which gave the Kappa Sigs two strikes with him, and his father and brother wore the emblem fair of Beta Theta Pi. The last fact gave the Betas the third strike, but evidently the man didn ' t know anything about baseball because when rush week ended he was in the Phi Delt fold. Score one for the side versus the Betas. Another choice story was in regard to the Violet Club boarders. It seems they were rushing a man from the City whose father was a member of the local Phi Psi boarding club. Anyw 7 ay the rushee decided he wanted to be a Sig Alf, nobody knows why, and he was in the City with a pledge button in his pocket. The Sig Alfs even went so far as to turn his name in to the Kansan as a pledge. But the boy ' s father stepped into the breech and led his wandering boy to the Phi Psi lodge, informing him that there was only one fraternity to pledge. Inciden- tally the Phi Delts pulled a similar stunt on one of the other Greek lodges. For obvious reasons we will skip names, particulars, and try and forget all about it. In our humble opinion the girls from the crescent lodge win the grand prize for pledging the plum of rush week, to-wit: Isabelle Bash. Another welcome addition to the same pledg e class is Barbara Bonham. a product of Chevy Chase. Say what you will of the Betas, nevertheless they pledged Dan Hamilton, son of the fiery national chairman of the Republican party. We can ' t figure out why the Landon men didn ' t get him. Maybe he didn ' t look like good T. N. E. material. The Betas are already singing laurels of the Typical the Greeks battled man they predict will take the place of the great Field, one Wallace Springer of Kansas City (per- sonally we hope he has only his trait of leadership.) The Sigma Chis induced twenty-two men to regis- ter at their palatious mansion Which reminds us of another story concerning the Betas. (This is the last.) They were rushing this summer a very prominent man from St. Joseph who received an Annapolis appoint- ment but decided he didn t want it. Confident to the last, the Betas gave him Sigma Chi rush dates as a mere courtesy. And the fellow pledged Sigma Chi The Hotel keepers also pledged a Dick Mize from Atchison, said to be quite a prize. The Alpha Chis say with much pride, and boast- ingly, that one look at Ann Reynolds, Jean VeIlman, and Jeanette Hardy would explain why they were pledged. The Horseshoe and X girls seemed to be extremely well satisfied with this year s crop. The rush captain out at the A. T. O. ranch must have been plenty worried this summer about getting some men to sign away their rights to civilization and (Continued on Page 78)

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JAYHAWKER THE INDUCTION CEREMONY In trie traditional and colorful ritual of initiation the new students are made members of the University student body By VIRGIL MITCHELL SANS caps for the first time in more than a decade, the 1936 freshmen gathered in a huge circle around the site of the first campfire, built over 100 years ago by the founders of Lawrence and the University of Kansas. But something was missing of the old fire and excitement of the now historical days when the paddles carried by the K-men meant something. Hence the first part of the new student induction was more like a funeral than an induction. With almost twice the normal number of freshmen present, and a sincere curiosity replacing the former fear of intimidation, the ceremony proved more impres- sive than ever before. However it reflected barbar- ism at times when routine turned to humor in the eyes of the novitiates. Just as twilight gave way to the artificial beams from the windows of Corbin Hall, a torch appeared from back of the speakers stand. Carried by a member of Sachem, it was handed to a member of Mortar Board, who lighted the fire in the University hearth. Members of the glee club gathered in the center of the circle and led the new students in singing the Crimson and the Blue, after which the firebasket part of the ceremony was explained by a member of the faculty. The symbolic torch, taken from the University seal, was lighted at the hearth and carried by a pursuent of A scene of tin student induction The Chancellor places the ceremonial cap the knowledge it represents around the top of Ml. Oread, behind the administration building, and down to the Rock Chalk Cairn, where the second fire was lighted. And then from across the valley, over the stadium, a bugle call signaled the marchers to start their trek down the hill into the stadium for the remainder of the ceremony. Marching a silent half-time and four abreast they came, around the dark east side and gradually into the light of the ceremonial altar. Led by the K-men swing- ing their useless leather paddles, the freshmen were directed into two sections facing the Greek altar in the north end of the stadium. There in the darkness K. U s. new generation heard the ideals and dreams of the founders of this their newly adopted home - presented by older members of the faculty, and saw them pictured on the enlarged illustration of the University seal. Something of the spirit of ancient Greece was reflected in the spirit of the crowd as the torch was relayed over the final lap from the Rock Chalk Cairn to the altar. There it was handed to an alumnus, who in turn handed it to a mem- ber of the senior class, thence down the line to the freshman who lighted the third and last fire of the ceremonial. A lasting impression was made with the repeating of the Athenian Oath. It was then the freshman became a member of his class, one of the University family. It was then that determination overshadowed every doubt and fear. He no longer saw the robes of the speakers as being made of broadcloth and velvet but rather as symbols of achievement. And his tribute to these intan- gible wonders of a new world a respectful silence.

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I. Tea on the Alpha Chi porch. 2. The Pi K As pause from their labors long enough For n shot. 3. Wash day at the A O Pi house. 4. The Sig Eps air the mat- tresses preparatory for a new year. 5. Relax- ation for the Sig Alphs. 6. A hearty welcome for a future Phi Psi. 7. The Pi Phis take slock of their charms. 8. New arrivals at the Chi Omega headquarters. 9. The A T Os make things shine. 10. The housemother greets prospective Delts. II. The Betas greet a rushee. 12. Rush week preparations at the Alpha Gams. 13. Sigma Alpha Mus arrive for school. 14. A coal oi paint ror the Acacia house. A Roman holiday for the Kansas Greeks. There you have a K. U. rush week in a nutshell. Nor from the standpoint of rushee. rusher, or innocent bystander is the name a misnomer. To the fraternity or sorority member who has to let dignity and sen- iority slip so far as to apply an effective combination of wax and elbow grease to a hardwood floor; to the football hero who grimly bears the humiliation of trundling a lawn mower over an acre of summer ' s growth; to the rush captain who engages in a frenzied last minute harangue to already overburdened brethren or sisters; to drowsy Greeks in midnight session; to the green rushee from Podunk corner; the blase one from the metropolis; to the girl who for a week can ' t speak to her sister or best friend: to the boy who for a like time can ' t talk on the phone to his best girl; to the worried mama who frantically calls a soror- ity house to say, Nellie comes from a fine family, I ' m Nellie ' s mother; to the Betas