Evening star., 1905-09-13
] "Rus1lNG' THE CoLLEGE<sfREsHMAN
Written for The Star.

written Tor me
If you have son or daughter or nephew
or niece entering college this month, or you
yourself are entering, you should be intense
| ly interested in the college definition OF the
word rushing"
| Rushing forsooth, is the art of favorably
impressing a freshman by a shower of at
tentions with some special Greek letter fra
| teinity, the probable object being to ask
him later on to Join the fraternity. At the
same time 1t operates to acquaint the men,
bers of the fraternity with the freshman
| and to enable them to form their opinions
of him against the day when they may be
| called upon to vote on the question of for
! maly extending an invitation to him to be-
| come fraternity brother.
A Greek letter fraternity, by the way, is
a., organization for college students some
| what on the lines of the Masonic and sim
liar bodies. 1t has chapters in different col
| leges. These chapters are all accountable
to a supreme governing body, and in some
fraternities with large chapter rolls the
| country is divided into districts, the chap
| ters in each district being looked after by a
district head, who works under the dlrec-
| ton of the general governing body. With
| one or two exceptions Greek letter fra
| ternity is a secret body; it has ritual and
| a prescribed form of initiation, and It's eX
| pressed and fundamental purpose is the pro-
| Iiioti''i VI - 80
| last through life There is nothing Greek
about 1t except the haihe al"ass cotiipi
nation OF t"o OF NOR VI .iI te.tei "i 1,e
| Greek aiphabet-thus. belt't Nappa hPSiioii'
| Psi Ups1lon, Kappa sigma l!elta 1au Lei'a'
| among the mens fraternites, and Kappa
| Kappa Gamma hapia -AiPlid ili.ta anu
Alphi I'M among the "onlen sol oi J I,,
as they are more toiiiiioi'iS ''ii'"' '''o
girls frats.'
Rushing Due to Rivalry.
=. ~, ,.o
Rushins Is d ulec' l'Sui' VI INC i,i'ee
rivalry for members existing among the va
rious chapters of several fraternties at any
.i,.ap colleqa The membership of every
So. =. so.,,o.oa - .ho a,a of s,cb s,,c-
chapter Is ueple'eu "' 'l'e e''" VI az
ceedng college year by the graduation ol
seniors and the dropping out of others;
those students not already members have
been weighed in the respective balances of
the chapters and found wanting; how else
can the ranks be recruited than among the
freshmen of the ensuing year?
The work of recruiting-rushing, If you
please-is gone about systema tically. Take,
for example college located a short dis
tance from city ana MheIe me iaise oous
m the campus
A few days before the date set for the
formal opening or the ne" term TWO OF
NOR NOR vi 'te NJ olIns,a Ion,, ,o,.ar tha res,is
80, Iis+ nf nen Students iot down the
names Of those that attract their interest
names that nave peen associdteu Win tllS
college since its foundlng, perhapS.and
ask sly questions about their owners OF the
registrar or any of the professors VINO nap
pen to be about. After that they proceed
to look up any early blrds that may nave
dropped in and to make themselves agree
able showing the newcomers the coIlese'
explaining the points or interest anu dc
lively aSsiS ting them IN pecoiIiis locdteu
in their new quarters.
In the meantime, the new cIassmen ar
rive in ever-increasing numbers, the othef
members of the frat show up, and as lhe
new men get off the train they are emu
sively greeted by sophomores ana JUNIORS
and even seniors, forgetful or thelr ne"
dignity in their enthusiasm Tor 'helr De
loved frat The freshmen are lehueFlS
and solicitously conducted to the college
Everything possible is done TO make them
feel at home-they are introduced 10 the
registrar and the president, ploted 10 thelf
rooms, aided in the puZZling task or max
ing up their programs of study, Introduced
to the brothers Of their guides OF course,
and, If the college happens TO be co-educa-
tional they meet certain young women who
are sub rosa allies of their sponsors.
r. h@eo+e Tho Freshman
III" -
Naturally, all these initial attentions, all
entirely unexpected make the average