Monday night dinners are when the entire sorority has dinner together every Monday evening for the entire school year and boy pledges from fraternities come into the home to these dinners and bring girls gifts. It is a very special time for the sorority because all the girls are at one dinner all together and before and after the dinner they sing songs that start and end the dinner as a service to the house which represent that history and tradition of song in sororities. The boys who come are usually friends or boyfriends of the girls of the house signifying the relationship and respect for them. I enjoy Monday Night Dinners as the food in sororities is usually very good and it is fun to see girls get funny or beautiful gifts such as flowers or gag gifts.

Composites are a collection of photos of every woman currently in the house. Hanging in the house, there are composites from every year dating back to the first year the chapter was formed, always the same format. These composites show the changes in women, styles of hair and makeup across the decades, but also show how things are still the same such the core values of the house that do not change. Composites are the physical representation of the house and all the values that have been passed down throughout the years. I think composites are interesting as they show the members of the house over the years. It shows the evolution of the house to modern times and shows the trends of fashion, hair, and makeup from decades ago until now. Composites are also a symbol of a member’s representation and physical part of the house. It shows the bond of the members of the house because even from the early 1900’s, those members and current members are “sisters” or “brothers”.

“Living in” refers to when girls of the sorority live in the house as it is a tradition of sorority women to live in the house together to share the home because they are sisters who share the same “home”. It is a cultural aspect and experience of sorority life in general. Since the conglomerate of women are in the same chapter of the sorority, they are inclined to live together in order to symbolize their bond as sisters. It also adds to the cultish culture of sororities as a whole by how they live together and share the same secrets and culture of the specific house. I think living in the house can be great for financial reasons but it can be overwhelming as 60+ girls are living in very tight spaces. Certain aspects of privacy are lost when living in the house making it a less ideal option for some girls.

The final day/night of rush, Big day/night, is when girls have already picked their houses, and basically have a party to celebrate the choosing of one sorority and the opportunity to get to meet all the girls in the house at one time. The sorority is celebrating their newest additions to their chapter. It is tradition to make t-shirts or tank tops that say the name of the sorority usually phrases like “WENT (Sorority name)” or “GO (Sorority name)”. This night is the most fun; it is truly a great celebration where girls get to know each other better and become friends. It is the start of friendships for the next pledge class.

Preference night is the final day of rush where the girl who is rushing chooses her final sorority. She will attend two houses and choose her top choice after the ceremonies. Preference ceremonies are vital and very important to the culture of sororities. It represents the sisterhood of the chapter. Meant to be very emotional, the ceremony is symbolic of the love of the chapter and how much the chapter wants the girl rushing to choose the sorority. Personally, my preference ceremony was highly emotional and beautiful. The girl who “pref-ed” me was my good high school friend. Surrounded by the ambiance of candles and dimmed lights, there was singing and touching stories girls were sharing about their experiences with the chapter. Each girl rushing was told how much they mean to the chapter. This ceremony symbolizes the values of the chapter and extends them to the new pledge class, essentially an invitation to the chapter. This is a special night where girls are meant to find their “home”. The basis of the ceremony has been passed down from generation to generation and the value sand ideals that were founded at the beginning of the creation of the chapter remain the same. My thought on this day of rush is that it was very lovely and meaningful to experience and feel the love from the girls who want you in their sorority house. It did feel a bit cultish but it was very special and personal. The songs and hymns sang were very private of the house– only the girls who were at the ceremony will ever hear them.