This is a story the informant heard from a friend she had during her freshman year of college.  This friend was rushing a Hispanic fraternity.

During the first week of Rush, one of older members of the fraternity had a  birthday.  In honor of this birthday, the six pledges had to drink enough Tecate beers to build him a giant throne–in one night.  The throne had to be big enough to sit in, and sit comfortably in.  The six pledges started drinking early, and supposedly finished over 120 beers before the throne was complete.  They presented the throne to the birthday boy, but he said–“it is not finished”–and made them drink bottles of hard alcohol to decorate the drone with.

The informant got to see throne once after that night was over.  The informant says she heard that many of the pledges got sick after they were done with this task.

I think this ritual reinforces the power structure of the fraternity.  The pledges have to complete a grueling, sickening (literally) task on their quest to gain acceptance to the fraternity.  However, this also builds a sense of community among the pledges, and shows them that they have to work to gain entrance into this society.