University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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Rush Week begins as over five hundred rushees move in. On Labor Day Monday the rushees checked into their temporary dormitory quarters. Many rushees from Kansas high schools already had visited some fraternities earlier in the year. These men usually had been asked to Train Dates in Lawrence, Topeka, or Kansas City for Monday night. Men from out-of-state and those who had no contact with KU fraternity men attended the Interfraternity Council Train Date at the Kansas Union. Fall rush officially opened the next morning. During Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, some 570 rushees sifted through the fraternity houses, visiting six of them on the first day, five on the second day and three on the third. Donald Alderson, Dean of Men, released these unofficial reports after the pledge lists had been signed. Of the 570 rushees, 508 pledged immediately. Some men had only participated in rush to visit the chapter houses with the intention of pledging at a later date. Pledge classes ranged from five to thirty men, depending upon each chapter ' s capacity at the time. The unofficial breakdown was as fol- lows : Acacia, r i ; Alpha Kappa Lambda, 14; Alpha Tau Omega, 23 ; Beta Theta Pi, to ; Delta Chi, 24; Delta Sigma Phi, 7; Delta Tau Delta, 21; Delta Upsilon, i5; Kappa Sigma, 27; Lambda Chi Alpha, 26; Phi Delta Theta, 19 ; Phi Gamma Delta, 3o; Phi Kappa Psi, 27; Phi Kappa Sigma, i8; Phi Kappa Tau, i3; Phi Kappa Theta, i9; Pi Kappa Alpha, 23; Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 28; Sigma Chi, 30; Sigma Nu, z5; Sigma Phi Epsilon, 19 ; Tau Kappa Epsilon, z3; Theta Chi, zo; Theta Tau, 5 ; and Triangle, 15. Jim Carr, president of the Interfraternity Council, was quick to express his satisfaction with the rush results. IFC rush co-chairmen Steve Stotts and Alan Gribben were pleased with the cooperation and good attitude which prevailed throughout the week. Entertainment makes the hours go more rapidly.

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Fall rush week was entirely a man ' s affair this year. The girls found their sorority houses too full to warrant an early return to campus, so when the fraternity members moved in this time they found little to divert their attention from the annual selection of new members. Regardless, the annual keen competition for good pledges, the life-blood of fraterni- ties, seems to push the institution of formal rush ever earlier in September. This time, members of twenty-five Kansas chapters dropped their summer jobs and gathered as early as Sunday, September 2, to polish their houses for the next week ' s activity. Twenty- five optimistic rush chairmen explained the progress of their summer rushing and the general outlook for the prospective pledge class. As soon as all returning members had been accounted for, the minimum and maxi- mum numbers of pledges needed was set. 14 11

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Conversation for 14 hours a day. It ' s finally almost over. The facts and figures listed above only begin to tell the story of rush week. The new pledge can only begin to realize the enormity of the step he has just taken. To the new student, fraternity life may sym- bolize a pin, a ritual, or social prominence. These are all a part, but the true definition of Greek life lies in the ties that bind individuals to one another. Some of the warmest memories of collegiate life are found in the after-study-hours sessions far into the night. Contrary to most beliefs, fraternity living does not destroy one ' s individuality, but develops and cultivates stronger personalities. Each and every person has a place in Greek life. The small, closely knit membership gives each individual a feeling of belonging. The pledge–active programs are often responsible for the overcom- ing of scholastic and other difficulties. In helping others, lifelong friendships are cemented, friend- ships so valuable in the development of potentialities. To those who hesitate as to whether they should participate in fraternity life, there is one point to remember it is a very happy life. Probably never again will there be the opportunity to live with people of the same age and learn to understand them. In being so closely related with different indi- viduals, one will be far better prepared to cope with the human society that lies in the future. Frater- nity living will not guarantee a perfect life, but it teaches one to give humbly and work honestly. Greeks present to a campus the picture of a fine exterior of parties, group activities, pins, signs cov- ered with luminous lights, and handsome facades. However, underneath this pretty exterior is a life which every person is proud to lead a life which strives to kindle the intellectual development of the fraternity member and thereby unites with the fundamental aims of the University. The development of the student ' s mind and judgment will enable him to live intelligently in a complicated world and give him the opportunity to cultivate his heritage. This development is the ultimate goal of fraternity. Thomas Ward Alan Gribben The yell-in—the end and the beginning.