University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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16 rush Sorority rush is a hectic experience, but the rewards far outweigh the headaches and rnonotony. TOTALLY Note: thefollowing is a jirst person account of the rush process. All names are fictional except the writer's. References to sorority houses are general and do not refer to any specwc house. By Aliza Schlifkin Now I know why they call it Rush, The entire process consisted of party after party, all full of skits and songs and lemon water. Hundreds of sweating girls wore their fa- vorite clothing and were packed into buses in the 100-degree heat. We were then transported from sorority to sorority in search of the ideal house. Rush did have the potential to be fun, but trust me, it was not. The experience did, however, teach me in- smiled. So, you're from Colorado? Sue said. She glanced at my name tag again. I smiled back and begain to tell her little- known facts about my home state which were obviously not interesting to her as she changed the subject. So, where are you living?,' and So, what made you choose the University of Kansas? were her next two questions. Charmingly and full of pep, I answered them. More rushees ap- valuable things about HB the eighth house or so I peared and sat in chairs life, y ' by me. Another girl found that I had developed a The beginning. Permanent smile My face was walked up to us, 5:00 a.m. The alarm . ' . ,, HHi,Buffy.This is sounded and 1 stumbled m a frozen State of happmess' Aliza. We were just talk- into the bathroom. It was jammed with girls applying makeup and per- fecting their hair. At 7:00 a.m., my rush group of nine girls met in the lobby. We all had met the night before and had been assigned a rush counselor, or rho chif' Her job was to boost morale, We filled out name cards and filed onto the bus.We were on our merry way. The first party. At our first house of the day, a group of girls who were far too enthusiastic for 7:00 a.m. came out and sang to us. One at a time, the girls came forward and greeted a rushee. I found myself being greeted by a peppy girl named Sue. Hi, Alizaf' she said. glancing at my name tag, I'm Sue. Nice to meet you. Sue then guided me by my elbow into the living room. I took a seat in a chair and Sue knelt on the floor in front of me. The sun rose and it was directly in my eyes. I pretended that it did not bother me although I was not able to see anyone in the room. I ing about why Aliza chose KU,', Sue said. They both nodded and smiled at me. I beamed back. i'Well, Sue said, 'Tm going to go ahead and let the two of you get acquainted. Nice talking to you, Aliza. I nodded. She left and Buffy sat in front of me. f'So, you're from Colorado? Buffy said. I tried to look as if I had never been asked such an interesting question before in my life. I then proceeded to repeat all that I had told Sue about Colorado. So, where are you living? Buffy asked. I began to think that there was a manual of questions to ask us during rush and that these girls had unfortunately memorized the same questions. I again tried to look as if I'd been caught completely off guard by the originality of her question. I answered her with a smile and told her interesting things about my dorm. After that was over, a skit was performed and a bell rang, signaling the end of the hour. - n but 1 I 1 I ,. 1. Qt , it . I Art We all rose and Buffy escorted me to the door! tlllsotttagg where I said what all rushees are not supp0SC to say, 'gGoodbye, see you tomorrow. ThiS a cardinal sin because no indications 2116101 made that you,ll be asked back or that yOU even accept the invitation. I found my rush group and We smiled aSUl i ltttttl 10 lh, taint what lttmml E Mm Wllnnmox llttltlqmehre

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CITY By Dana Carlisle Hundreds of KU students searched for fun and enter- tainment every weekend. led them to Kansas City to enjoy mu- sic, art, theater. Kansas City offers KU students a wide array of options. I i entertainment PLEASURE shopping, dining and, of course, the nightlife. Lisa Harger, Olathe sophomore, said that she enjoyed the cultural events Kansas City offered the best. I like to see the Kansas City Symphony, the Kansas City Youth Symphony and any special events that Kansas City hostsf' Harger said. g'For instance, l've seen ltzhak Perlman and Rudolph Nurievf' Music vvasn't the only fine an in Kansas City Worth investigating. Sonya Nelson, Edmond, Okla., sophomore. enjoyed visiting art galleries. 'Sl like to go to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Artf' Nelson said. lt is a really great place. Kansas City was home to a number of festivals and fairs. I Went to see the Jazz Festival at Liberty Memorial, said Frank DelRosario, St. Louis sophomore. I like to listen to jazz. Fans of professional baseball and football came to Kansas City to see the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs play. Ruth Hite, Princeton, N .J ., freshman, said that she enjoyed Kansas City spons. much safer, easier and more enjoyable than Yankee Stadium, Hite said. Another popular student activity in Kansas City was shopping. One of the most popular places to shop were the Plaza, an area modeled after Seville. Spain, with ornate Spanish archi- tecture, fountains, and statues. Westport was another popular spot for the more casual shop- pers. Kelly Martens, Reno, Nev.. senior, said her favorite time to see the Plaza was during the Christmas and Hanukkah season. 'tl like to go shopping on the Plaza, especially after Thanks- giving when the lights are upfl Martens said. Most KU students enjoyed Kansas City's nightlife the best. Kansas City had bars to suit every taste, from jazz to alternative, country to top 40. I like going to the Shadow, said Anna Balaun, Marysville senior. t'They have really great bands and good atmosphere. Kansas City had a Wide variety of activities, from shopping to music to culture, and was well worth investigating. After all, how could hundreds of KU stu- dents be wrong? U It's DAN ELDER SERVES A DRAW OF Boulevard Pale Ale to a customer at the Grand Emporium in Kansas City, Mo. The Grand Emporium was thefirst club to win the W.C. Handy Awardfor Best Blues Club in America twice C1989 and 19911. tPhoto by James Cradyl kansas city 15

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X 1991 I xi iff' ff t irls once again sang to us. We clapped and lfticsconcdflffaved to them. I decided that maybe this rllirushtfilll 'asn't so bad after all. teflon' Quill I was wrong. Yenomditt We all boarded the bus for the next party. UN 6 .inri0Il grill? ll bnlveryone took out their notebooks and wrote Jwn their reactions to the house. Next, every- drift fy if 4, -1 I I ,ffl itt one pulled out some lipstick, a mirror and other assorted makeup. We all patted our noses and teased our bangs. The bus pulled away and headed for the next sorority. One down. Thirteen to go. The repetition. The next six parties consisted of the same 5 SISTERS OF THE DELTA DELTA DELTA sorority congratulate newly picked pledges on Bid Day. Bid Day was the traditional day when girls found out which house they were chosen for other going through the rush process. iPhoto by James Cradvj four questions, along with some small vari- ations here and there. I repeated the same answers but I found myself lying and expand- ing my answersjust to make them interesting. Several of the houses provided us with lemon water to drink It was refreshing, but it also posed a problem of how to drink casually. drink amiably and most importantly, how to not spill all over myself. By the eighth house or so, I found that I had developed a permanent smile. The muscles in my face were so sore that the only comfortable position for them was that of a grin. My face was in a frozen state of happiness. By the end, I felt myself starting to drag and at the last party, I no longer cared what I looked like or ifl was being interesting at all. Luckily, I still had that smile on my face so I looked as ifl was still having fun. After what felt like two hours, the bell rang and we again filed out and were sung to. I was relieved to be done, for the day at least. The bus dropped us off at the dorm, and we were like zombies as we went right to bed. The rest of rush was the same. The parties consisted of the same songs, questions and conversations. In retrospect, rush was not unlike the real world. In a world of quick decisions based on criteria, quick elimination is not unusual. I may resent the whole process of rush, but I felt that the experience was worthwhile beyond words. I learned quite a bit about life and about dealing with people and situations from rush- mg. Besides, I am now an expert on small talk as well as being in the house of my choice and loving it. U rush 17