Pledged (47 page)

62
help them recruit new brothers by flaunting their sexuality:
See Harper. “‘Little Sisters’ Abolished at USF.” See also “Campus Life: Missouri; ‘Little Sister’ Program Stopped After Assaults.”
New York Times
.

62
Fraternity brothers use pictures . . . access to these girls:
See Stombler, Mindy. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties’: The Collective Sexual Reputation of Fraternity Little Sisters.”
Gender & Society
. Vol. 8, No. 3 (1994) 297–323.

62
charts explaining the number of beers it took to seduce each little sister:
See, for example, Lord, M. G. “Frats and Sororities; The Greek Rites of Exclusions; Racism and Sexism.”
The Nation
. July 4, 1987; Wright, Esther.
Torn Togas: The Dark Side of Campus Greek Life
. Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1996.

62
“good care of the brothers”:
See Stombler. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties.’”

62
little sisters . . . a distinct possibility:
See, for example, Binder. “Changing a Culture.” See also Abbey, Antonia. “Alcohol-Related Sexual Assault: A Common Problem among College Students.”
Journal of Studies on Alcohol
. March 1, 2002, which reported, “One fraternity man stated that at parties, ‘We provide them [little sisters] with “hunch punch” and things get wild. We get them drunk and most of the guys end up with one’ . . . With no remorse or guilt, this fraternity man described his plans to get one particular woman drunk by serving her punch without letting her know it was spiked for the challenge of having sex with a ‘prim and proper sorority girl.’”

62
Studies of these programs . . . sister in the first place:
See, for example, Binder. “Changing a Culture.”

62–63
“had their jersey pulled” . . . too promiscuous:
See Stombler. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties.’”

63
touch their breasts . . . brothers’ approval:
See Wright.
Torn Togas
.

63
Some fraternities auction . . . baking, cleaning, and driving:
See Stombler and Padavic. “Sister Acts.”

63
When a fraternity selects a little sister . . . “almost fell over”:
See Stombler and Padavic. “Sister Acts.”

63
“Something that made me . . . power to do that”:
See Stombler. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties.’”

OCTOBER

68
At Syracuse . . . “large disposable income”:
See “2002–2003 Advertising Information.”
Hermes: The Greek Community’s Independent Student Newspaper
. Syracuse, NY.

68
sorority dues . . . to $2,500 a semester:
I encountered a range of sorority dues, some of which include room and board for the time period a girl is required to live in the house. See, for example, Esther Wright’s
Torn Togas
(Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1996), which cites dues of $2,500, or Vendela Vida’s
Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Gang Drive-bys, and Other Initiations
(New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999), which states that sorority dues at UCLA ranged from Kappa Alpha Theta’s $1,895 to Alpha Delta Pi’s $2,237.

68
Sorority dues cover the costs . . . chapter’s national office:
This is generally available information, which was also confirmed by chapter finance documents.

71
community service . . . revolves more around donations than actual service:
The discussions I heard at the Northeast Greek Leadership Association’s Conference supported this statement (see December’s chapter). Many sororities claim to have a designated philanthropic cause. These “philanthropies,” also called causes or visions, are listed on the web sites for the national organizations.

79
Is it worth it? . . . Missy Elliott
: Warner Brothers music granted permission to reprint these lyrics.

85
governed by parliamentary procedure:
Many sororities follow
Robert’s Rules of Order
and in the manuals given to pledges, specify the meetings’ parliamentary procedure.
Pi Phi Forever,
for example, instructs when to request a “point of information,” “point of order,” “amend the amendment,” “division of the house,” and so on. The book also lists the order of business for weekly meetings: call to order, opening ritual, roll call, reading and adoption of minutes of previous meeting, reports of officers and committees, unfinished business, new business, election and installation of officers, closing ritual, and adjournment.

86
known as the “candlelight” . . . she is engaged:
See, for example, Rose, Margaret Ann.
Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success
. New York: Villard, 1985. Conklin, Ellis E. “Fraternities Are Back, Seeking a Better Image.”
The Record
. October 15, 1985.
The Record
reported that at the University of Georgia after an engaged sister’s candlelight ceremony, “then she has to go rescue her fraternity boyfriend who has been tied to a tree by his frat brothers, stripped naked and squirted with shaving cream.”

87
Attendance at chapter meetings . . . “get a note from the teacher”:
Some sororities, such as Kappa Delta, specify these obligations in their national rulebook. Kappa Delta’s
Norman Shield
states, “Attendance at all chapter meetings, ritualistic services, membership recruitment activities and all other required chapter functions: An unexcused absence from one of these events puts a member on bad standing for one calendar month. Excused absences are permitted only for illness; unavoidable absence from town; night classes, if needed for graduation and the class is not scheduled at any other time; or because, out of necessity, a member has to work. Except in the case of an emergency, excuses are due in writing prior to the meeting to be missed. Special permission to miss a chapter meeting because of work may be given only in rare cases and, then, only for a temporary period of time.”

91
“Not on the bed . . . shave my chacha.”:
Warner Brothers Music granted permission to reprint these lyrics.

96
A sister at another sorority canceled a meeting . . . “have your priorities out of order”:
See Soos, Margaret J. “With Friends Like These.”
OC Weekly
. August 27, 1999. “Margaret J. Soos” is the writer’s pseudonym.

97
sororities have thorough “class files” . . . exclusive use of their sisters:
See, for example, Zwilling, James. “Greek Test Files Necessary, Beneficial Say Some Texas Christian U. Students.”
Daily Skiff
. (Texas Christian University.) Via University Wire. October 26, 2001; Henley, Tim. “Oklahoma State U. Profs Using Technology to Battle Plagiarism.”
Daily O’Collegian
. Oklahoma State University. March 25, 2002.

97
Class files . . . “we pay to be Greek”:
See Zwilling. “Greek Test Files Necessary, Beneficial Say Some Texas Christian U. Students.”

NOVEMBER

107
At the University of Missouri . . . triple bunk beds:
Interviews; confirmed with the Office of Greek Life at the university.

107
houses at the University of Washington . . . pledges must sleep:
Interviews; confirmed with the Panhellenic Office at the university.

107
At half the houses at Purdue . . . windows left open at all times:
Interviews; confirmed with the Greek adviser.

107
At Indiana University . . . in order to be considered an active member:
Interviews; confirmed with the Student Activities Office.

108
The houses are usually owned . . . covers parties and similar expenses:
Interview with Sally Grant, chairman of the National Panhellenic Conference.

117
This movement . . . elementary through high schools:
Among the intriguing works on this issue are the important books
Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence,
by Rosalind Wiseman (New York: Crown, 2002), and
Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls,
by Rachel Simmons (New York: Harcourt, 2002). Laura Sessions Stepp of The
Washington Post
wrote about Alphas and Betas in her widely cited article “Alpha Girl; In Middle School, Learning to Handle the ABCs of Power” (February 23, 2002).

118
“natural . . . popularity and social status”:
See Wiseman.
Queen Bees and Wannabes.

126
“girls’ social hierarchy . . . one of the consequences of girls’ social hierarchies”
: Ibid.

126
others have called the Alphas:
See Stepp. “Alpha Girl; In Middle School, Learning to Handle the ABCs of Power.”

128
the current popularity of “mean girl” books . . . who turn out just fine:
See Meadows, Susannah. “Meet the Gamma Girls.”
Newsweek
. June 3, 2002; Kantrowitz, Barbara. “Selling Advice—as Well as Anxiety.”
Newsweek
. June 3, 2002.

129
“social manipulation on the playground” or “relational aggression”:
See Lamb, Sharon.
The Secret Lives of Girls: What Good Girls Really Do—Sex Play, Aggression, and Their Guilt.
New York: The Free Press, 2001.

GREEK WEEK

137
A 1996 Harvard University College Alcohol Studies Program report . . . “powerless to do anything about it”:
See Wechsler, H., G. Kuh, and A. Davenport. “Fraternities, Sororities and Binge Drinking: Results from a National Study of American Colleges.” National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Summer 1996; 33(4). I am grateful to the Harvard School of Public Health’s Department of Health and Social Behavior for providing me with a copy of this article.

Several other studies have linked Greek membership to heavy drinking. One particularly thorough report is Sher, K., B. Bartholow, and S. Nanda. “Short- and Long-Term Effects of Fraternity and Sorority Membership on Heavy Drinking: A Social Norms Perspective.”
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
. Vol. 15, No. 1 (March 2001): 42–51. Their findings included both that “Throughout the college years, Greeks consistently drank more heavily than non-Greeks. Statistically controlling for previous alcohol use did not eliminate this effect” and that “Greek status did not predict postcollege heavy drinking levels.”

In its most recent report on the topic, the Commission on Substance Abuse at Colleges and Universities found that “Students living in fraternities and sororities report drinking an average of 15 drinks per week, compared to only 5 drinks per week by other students.”
Rethinking Rites of Passage: Substance Abuse on America’s Campuses
. June 1994.

137
In 2003 . . . 81 percent of non-Greeks:
See Freyvogel, Colleen. “Survey Finds Penn State Sororities, Fraternities Drink More.
Daily Collegian
. Pennsylvania State University. Via University Wire. March 4, 2003.

137
in 1992 . . . nearly half used marijuana or cocaine within the thirty-day period preceding the study:
See Goodwin, L. “Alcohol and Drug Use in Fraternities and Sororities.”
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education
. Vol. 37, No. 2 (Winter 1992).

138
Six years later . . . “escalating on college campuses within the Greek community”:
See Strickland, Mary. “A New Look: The Changing Role of Greek Letter Organizations on American College Campuses.”
KUDZU: The Journal of Higher Education Management
. Vol. 1 (Spring 1998).

138
In 1985 . . . three times the legal limit:
See Nuwer, Hank.
Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking
. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1999.

139
In a review of twelve hundred . . . “or automobile accidents”:
See Weiss, Kenneth R. “‘Animal Houses’ Try to Sober Up.”
Los Angeles Times.
April 6, 1997.

139
the University of Missouri in 1989 . . . alcohol-education program:
See “Campus Life: Missouri; Now, Fraternities Must Check Ages of Party Guests.”
New York Times.

139
Other schools also prohibited . . . prevent open parties:
See Weiss. “‘Animal Houses’ Try to Sober Up.”

139
Violation . . . “Greek Community Board”:
See “Campus Life: Missouri; Now, Fraternities Must Check Ages of Party Guests.”

143
Snap back to reality . . . vomit on his sweater already:
The boys were misquoting Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” from the soundtrack of the film
8 Mile
. The actual lyrics are:

Yo, his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy

There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti

He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready

To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettin’

What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud

He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out

He’s chokin’, how everybody’s jokin’ now

The clock’s run out, time’s up over, bloah!

Snap back to reality, oh there goes gravity . . .

8 Mile Style granted permission to reprint these lyrics.

148
Stepping originated . . . “performance traditions”:
See Malone, Jacqui.
Steppin’ on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance
. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996.

149
It is marching . . . and slapping in one:
Ibid; See also Fine, Elizabeth C.
Soulstepping: African American Step Shows
. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003.

149
Each of the four . . . “Sweat”:
See Fine.
Soulstepping
.

149
each sorority has a “sign” . . . to encourage the performers:
See Malone.
Steppin’ on the Blues.
I also learned a great deal about step during an interview with Dr. Walter Kimbrough, widely considered to be a leading expert on African American Greek life, and the vice president of Student Affairs at Albany State University.