December 14, 2025 • 23 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Dirty Rush, The Truth about Sorority Life with
your hosts me Gia Judice.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Kessler.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Welcome back to part two of our most restricted, most
guarded episode yet.
Speaker 4 (00:15):
So settle in.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
You're about to hear the part of the story that
no one was ever supposed to talk about.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
So for my sorority initiation, it was something that I
had never thought was a big deal at all. There
was nothing to prepare for. In my eyes, it was
just on the calendar, and we had no acceptable excuses
for missing this event. And I do know that some
(00:43):
people missed and nothing happened to them. When people on
the board of my sorority would speak about things being
unexcusable or you can't miss, it just.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Felt like life or death.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Like if you couldn't make initiation, you were not going.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
To see the next day.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I don't know why, I think ever since being in
the sorority, I just it was really fun in bubbles
and butterflies, until at times it felt very culty, which
this initiation that I did is what really made me
feel like it was very culty. Being a part of
a sorority. I feel like the school and the SORTI
(01:23):
that I was in was very chill and relaxed and
didn't really have that strict of rules. But then, you know,
for this initiation, I was reminded that it was a
sorority and that there's you know, alumni and boards with
people that are in their later ages that still create
(01:44):
the rules for sorority. So it was just kind of
like a realization moment for me for sure about like
what it means to be in a sorority. So our
sorority initiation was on a Sunday, and I can't remember
remember the timing of it, but I do remember they
kind of gave us a list of things that we
(02:05):
couldn't do the night before. We weren't allowed to go out,
we were not allowed to go to the frat houses,
we were not allowed to go onto the campus bars.
So I think no one followed that because no one
really took it seriously, which ended up with some people
(02:27):
having a pretty bad hangover the next day. And so
essentially we were told to meet at the hotel of
the town that our college was at, which was very bizarre,
and we got there, we were instructed to wear nude
undergarments and no makeup, hair, down socks which completely sealed in,
(02:52):
like this is just weird. And so we arrived at
the hotel, which felt really bizarre because it was a
hotel that my family would day at for family weekend
or any time they came to visit. And we were
directed down to the basement of the hotel and it
was a pretty like old fashioned place, really cool, definitely
(03:13):
some ghost stories and people having weird stories from the
rooms of the hotel. So we go down to the
basement and it's just a room full of these white robes,
which I've talked to my friends at other schools and they,
you know, we were all kind of weirded out about it.
So we see all these robes, very weird, and then
(03:36):
we put them on and we were instructed by our
supervisors that we were not to speak once we arrived
into the basement, which I mean, we didn't really know
what we were doing. We were kind of just following hands.
Everyone was just shuffling around trying to be quiet. Everyone
was very hungover. And then we were led into this
dark room with candles and the older girls in our
(03:59):
surrority were singing and they they were standing in a
line waiting for us to walk in, so we all
sheepishly walked in and for the actual ceremony part, which
began with my president speaking in front of this designed,
(04:20):
this plastic designed looking arch with a book in her hand,
and to me, I remember it as gibberish. I'm not
sure if she was speaking English or Greek words, but
she was reading passages while the older girls were singing,
and I remember being really freaked out, kind of like
(04:45):
people were snickering around me. Everyone was kind of like
looking all around. And then something kind of unusual happened.
But a gal and my sorority had a service dog,
and her service dog was in there with us, and
the dog actually was a little bit freaked out for
some reason. I think it was on the younger side
(05:08):
of being a service animal. And a dog got out
of the collar and ran around the room and knocked
over a couple of the candles, and so all of
the girls had to stop singing and we had to,
you know, contain the fire that the cute service dog
wagged its tail on. So that was just kind of
(05:30):
like rattled things up and brought the ceremony back to
life that it was just a sorority and nothing too
coulty or crazy, but then finished, our bigs were seated
by us, which was cool, and then some people had
their moms in there, which I was like, Wow, everyone's
in on it. And then we finished. Everyone went outside
(05:56):
kind of gathered with my friends.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
And we were all like, uh, during.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
How much longer we were going to be a part
of sorority life? And then realized that the initiation part
was kind of the only thing that was bizarre, in
that being in a sorority can be fun, except being
initiated is so weird. So that's my initiation story.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
I was rushing in twenty twenty during COVID at a
pretty big school, and so going into it, I knew
I wanted to rush because everything was enclosure and I
wanted to meet new friends and girls obviously, so I remember,
at least during the summer meet going into it, I
(06:55):
wasn't really like keeping up with what the top sororities were,
what their reps were. I kind of was just going
with the flow. But I remember over the summer, like
the top sorority like followed me on Instagram, and I
didn't really think much of it, and at least now
looking back, I know that's like definitely not what you're
(07:16):
supposed to do, Like you're not supposed to interact with
any of the p and ms, especially like before Rush.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
So they started.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Following me, and they even like followed me on think
like Visco and that was like in my Instagram bio
at the time.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
And so sign up for Rush.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Everything was like I said on Zoom during quarantine, which
in a way, looking back at it, I'm glad it
was that way because I don't think I could ever
do the twelve hours a day in heels and dresses.
But it was definitely interesting at least over Zoom did that.
And I remember like every time I would get called
(07:56):
back for said sorority that reached out to me on Instagram,
the President would always join the Zoom call, and.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
That definitely like put me on edge.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
For better or for worse, because if the president's listening
in on every time that you're joining the House, it
was clear that they wanted me to join. And so
I actually put said sorority as my second pref not
my first preth, and I got them, so I was
part of the sorority immediately. It was very forced, at
(08:29):
least with quarantine, it's kind of hard to make everything
feel natural and no one really knows what they're doing.
But I remember one of our first Sisterhood events was
like a sleepover, so we didn't actually sleepover, which was
very contradictory to the name, but what the sleepover entailed
(08:52):
was we all sat in a giant circle upstairs and
we passed around each to share a really traumatic story.
And this was part of the I guess bonding and cleep.
In mind, we don't know any of anyone else in
our pledge class because we don't get interactions at least
(09:12):
like outside of Zoom. I think this was one of
the first like in person events and everyone was passing
around this teddy bear and sharing like a really sad
story and it took like three hours. And after that,
I was like, I don't want to go to another
Sisterhood event. This was not only depressing, but don't really
feel any closer to anyone in my sorority whatsoever. So
(09:36):
I just didn't go. And my EXEC really did not
like that, which makes sense. My EXEC did not like
me because I didn't go to the sisterhood events or
the a lot of the exchange events. But This was
because also at the exchange events, we would sing.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
Really really outrageous songs. I even have some of them.
I'm like saved.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
I don't know if I can read them because it
does give away the name of the story. But we'd
seen these really raunchy songs essentially, and I was so
comfortable like singing the song, so it was basically like
I remember one of the lines was like it was
like me and put it in my mouth, like and
we had to stand there and like sing it in
front of all these frat guys. So I didn't go
(10:23):
to any of the exchanges or much of the SISTERED events,
and I remember when I would go to the chapter meetings,
the rules would be boobs or butt, not both. And
that's she's they're talking about. When you go to a party.
You can't show nothing, but you can't show both. So
some girls would choose to flaunt their boobs and the
(10:43):
other girls choose to flaunt their butt, but you can't
show both.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
And immediately it just felt very.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Like sexualized and uncomfortable, and along with the fact that
I didn't know any of these girls, it was just
essentially like the exec board who ares a year or
two older that us, sparking at us, telling us what
to sing about our bodies and like what to where
to these parties. And I remember one of the even
first chapter events is we don't call them frat boys,
(11:12):
we call them fraternity men. Like it was correcting our
verbiage on like the smallest things. Okay, So our initiation
ceremony was over zoom, and I remember it was like
during I want to say, like winter or Thanksgiving break.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
So I was at home doing this break this.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
Zoom from my room from home, and at least during
the initiation, you know, you have the candles, you have
the robes. That was all on zoom, so I'm pretty
sure it was just like a candle background and just
pressing through slideshows. And this actually is helping me remember
what the pref and bid process was. It was through
(11:52):
an email and like it was just congrats confetti across
your screen. So it was very anti climactic and you
didn't like meet anyone that was I didn't know anyone
in my pledge class until come the next year when
we did recruitment and I was on the other end.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
We had to.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
Stalk every girl come up with a list of like
top ones, middle ones that we wanted to recruit for
the sorority over the summer. So that definitely coincides with
at least my experience coming in as a freshman over
the summer.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
The sorority followed me, so they do. It's already like.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Curated, having a list of like their top choices, and
they would really go for girls like big following or
like girls that had a really good Instagram. It wasn't
necessarily based on like values obviously, because you can't really
depict someone's values from their Instagram.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
So it was very materialistic and like two D in
a way.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
It was very shallow, and I think that just goes
back to the fact that we all had to pass
around the stair until a sad story we could opt
to pass, but it there was literally like max five passes.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Okay, from what I remember of my initiation ceremony story,
it was a long time ago, but I remember we
spent the night at the sorority house. Kind of everybody
who was in the house left and so we were
all in rooms.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
I remember.
Speaker 6 (13:30):
Us being trying to be silly and like trying to
make pranes so they couldn't wake us up so early
because they were waking us up, but I think they
got rid of all the clocks so we couldn't see.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
But I think it felt like four am we were
getting woken up at. And so we like set like
water cups all up the stairs, so like it took
the uh, the active members longer to get to us,
which didn't end up working out super well, but we
thought it was funny. Anyways, I remember waking up super early.
Speaker 7 (13:58):
I think we all probably got an hour or two
of sleep, and so you just feel like you're in
a haze and have no idea what kind of what's
happening on they And this.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Is where I kind of remember some things. But I
remember putting on a robe kind of being either blindfolded
or my eyes were to close something.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
And I went into a room and I'm joined a
sorority that I was a legacy at. So my older
sister was in the same sorority at the same school,
and so I remember just like opening my eyes to
her being there. She was super emotional and I kind
(14:41):
of was just like, what is happening? Like this is
almost a little like creepy say it on seat, like
what is happening.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
I was just like, had no idea.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
I didn't know she was going to be there, but
also being off black of sleep and I'm a contagious crier,
so I saw her crying, so I started crying, and
I was just like there was so much which I
didn't understand at the time, just very like all these
like rituals and things being said that I just was like,
I don't know what's happening.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Later leave that room.
Speaker 6 (15:11):
So at that point it was just me and anybody
else who was a legacy. So there was a small
group of people in this one room being revealed with
whoever their legacy was or family member that was a
part of the same sorority, and then later being brought
into a different room that was much bigger, where my
big sister was.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
And this is where things aren't super clear. It just
was like really dark.
Speaker 6 (15:36):
Everyone was in robes, and I don't even remember the
traditional things that happened. I remember my big being behind me,
and then my blood sister, who i'm a legacy of,
being behind her.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
To initiate us. But the one thing I actually really
remember the most from this is that college game Day
from ESPN was at our school this week this week.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
For our big football game, and all of our friends
were going at like five am to stand out for
college game day, and we could not go.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Because it was initiation.
Speaker 6 (16:12):
So I just honestly remember wanting it to be over
so that I could go get dressed and go to
the football game and be with all the friends partying
for college game day. So looking back now, I'm like,
I wish I would have thought a little bit more
of it as sentimental, but I was just ready for
a good time, and so it was emotional, especially I
(16:34):
think more so because my sister was there and she
was just so happy and excited that I had chosen
the exact same house that she had gone through, And
that honestly was like the most memorable and biggest surprise
to me because I did not know she was going
to be there, so that was super special to have
that with her.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
And then I mean, I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
I think we all just like after that is ritual.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
Things happened that I cannot for the life of me remember.
For some reason, I think we were just so tired.
I was like, let's get to this football game, and.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Me and so many of my initiation class at that
point just left or like went and got ready together
and went to the game. And so it was really
fun and it had memorable parts, but it was also
a little I don't want to say creepy, but it
was a little creepy and kind of trying to be like,
what is this.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
It's so early, where are we?
Speaker 3 (17:30):
So it was a lot of emotions all over the place.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
I remember that I was in a sorority.
Speaker 8 (17:50):
I had a choice. There were five sororities in my college,
and for me, it was between two, but I decided
just to pick one and I matched there, so that
was my choice, and so I was called a suicide bid,
(18:13):
where you just pick one. If you don't get in
that one, you're not on authority. So I just picked one,
really excited about it, and we had a really beautiful
mascot that I really loved and appreciated, just the sweet
girls that I was with the initiation. The main thing
(18:34):
I remember is we walked in. We had candles. It's
kind of candles that you hold with a little thing
under it, and we had white robes and walked into
a dark room with just some candles around the sides
and very quiet, very solemn, like a ritual, and then
(19:03):
we all went into a circle, and we had our
pledge moms behind us, so they were like supporting us,
holding you know, holding holding on to us in the
circle in the dark with our candles. And then they
(19:24):
all started singing around us because they were all around
us too, so we felt really safe in this room.
And they all sang the song, the main song, which
was for this sorority, and then the president of authority started
speaking about the importance of getting together and the importance
(19:46):
of our group, and importance of our sorority, and that
we were basically in this, you know, for our lives,
and it just it meant a lot to me. I
don't remember a lot of the details because it was
so long ago. It was in the nineteen seventies, so
it was years and years ago, and I've had a
whole life since then and a whole career and family.
(20:08):
But I do remember the solemnness of it and the importance,
and I did feel like this was something I was
going to do for my life, that this was a
group of women that I was going to be with
for my life.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
And so I'm.
Speaker 8 (20:24):
Still in my alumni group. We still have meetings, and
it has continued to be an important thing, not just
the one thing, but an important part of my life
and at my school, because I was in a department
that was more creative, I was the only person that
(20:44):
was even interested in being in a sorority. My roommates
were not in sororities. They used to just kind of
joke with me about that I wanted to do it,
and I knew I wanted to do it. There wasn't
going to be anything that was going to stop me
from being in this group because I wanted to have
a full college experience. And so once we went through
(21:05):
the initiation, and once we ended that beautiful circle and
we sang the songs, and it was just joining a sisterhood,
a sisterhood that for me has lasted my whole life.
With different women and we've all been through the same
experience together. We all know our ritual, we all know
the reason that we're in this group and the beginnings
(21:28):
of the of the sorority and the importance of sisterhood
and being supportive of each other.
Speaker 9 (21:38):
So what I do remember is they locked us all
in a basement, all of the pledges and a basement.
It was like an overnight thing, and we had to
take a quiz on like the history of our sorority,
and we couldn't come out of the basement until we
passed the test. And then I remember the initiation was
(22:01):
just like a full like all overnight thing. And then
in the morning they we came upstairs and like all
of the you know, like the sorty sisters were dressed
in like all these like white like long gowns, but
(22:23):
they weren't like dresses, they were like sheets almost. It
was kind of strange, and we had to go in
three at a time to this room and then they
closed the door once everybody was in, and you sat
like face to face with your big wound up being
your big siss. I remember we kneeled face to face
(22:46):
and there was a bunch of like Latin kind of
like chanting things like songy sort of chance, and then
the president got up and spoke and gave us the password,
and then we learned the handshake, and then we kind
(23:08):
of like it was very somber and serious, and then
we all filed out after that, and then I really
don't remember much else after that. I also think it
was a long night, so I was probably tired.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
There you have it. Forget the theories, rumors, and speculation.
You now know what really happens when a pledge officially
joins the Sisterhood.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
If you have a.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Story to share, let us know and we will ensure
you remain anonymous until next time. This is dirty rush.
Welcome to Dirty Rush, The Truth about Sorority Life with
your hosts me Gia Judice.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Kessler.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Welcome back to part two of our most restricted, most
guarded episode yet.
Speaker 4 (00:15):
So settle in.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
You're about to hear the part of the story that
no one was ever supposed to talk about.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
So for my sorority initiation, it was something that I
had never thought was a big deal at all. There
was nothing to prepare for. In my eyes, it was
just on the calendar, and we had no acceptable excuses
for missing this event. And I do know that some
(00:43):
people missed and nothing happened to them. When people on
the board of my sorority would speak about things being
unexcusable or you can't miss, it just.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Felt like life or death.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Like if you couldn't make initiation, you were not going.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
To see the next day.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I don't know why, I think ever since being in
the sorority, I just it was really fun in bubbles
and butterflies, until at times it felt very culty, which
this initiation that I did is what really made me
feel like it was very culty. Being a part of
a sorority. I feel like the school and the SORTI
(01:23):
that I was in was very chill and relaxed and
didn't really have that strict of rules. But then, you know,
for this initiation, I was reminded that it was a
sorority and that there's you know, alumni and boards with
people that are in their later ages that still create
(01:44):
the rules for sorority. So it was just kind of
like a realization moment for me for sure about like
what it means to be in a sorority. So our
sorority initiation was on a Sunday, and I can't remember
remember the timing of it, but I do remember they
kind of gave us a list of things that we
(02:05):
couldn't do the night before. We weren't allowed to go out,
we were not allowed to go to the frat houses,
we were not allowed to go onto the campus bars.
So I think no one followed that because no one
really took it seriously, which ended up with some people
(02:27):
having a pretty bad hangover the next day. And so
essentially we were told to meet at the hotel of
the town that our college was at, which was very bizarre,
and we got there, we were instructed to wear nude
undergarments and no makeup, hair, down socks which completely sealed in,
(02:52):
like this is just weird. And so we arrived at
the hotel, which felt really bizarre because it was a
hotel that my family would day at for family weekend
or any time they came to visit. And we were
directed down to the basement of the hotel and it
was a pretty like old fashioned place, really cool, definitely
(03:13):
some ghost stories and people having weird stories from the
rooms of the hotel. So we go down to the
basement and it's just a room full of these white robes,
which I've talked to my friends at other schools and they,
you know, we were all kind of weirded out about it.
So we see all these robes, very weird, and then
(03:36):
we put them on and we were instructed by our
supervisors that we were not to speak once we arrived
into the basement, which I mean, we didn't really know
what we were doing. We were kind of just following hands.
Everyone was just shuffling around trying to be quiet. Everyone
was very hungover. And then we were led into this
dark room with candles and the older girls in our
(03:59):
surrority were singing and they they were standing in a
line waiting for us to walk in, so we all
sheepishly walked in and for the actual ceremony part, which
began with my president speaking in front of this designed,
(04:20):
this plastic designed looking arch with a book in her hand,
and to me, I remember it as gibberish. I'm not
sure if she was speaking English or Greek words, but
she was reading passages while the older girls were singing,
and I remember being really freaked out, kind of like
(04:45):
people were snickering around me. Everyone was kind of like
looking all around. And then something kind of unusual happened.
But a gal and my sorority had a service dog,
and her service dog was in there with us, and
the dog actually was a little bit freaked out for
some reason. I think it was on the younger side
(05:08):
of being a service animal. And a dog got out
of the collar and ran around the room and knocked
over a couple of the candles, and so all of
the girls had to stop singing and we had to,
you know, contain the fire that the cute service dog
wagged its tail on. So that was just kind of
(05:30):
like rattled things up and brought the ceremony back to
life that it was just a sorority and nothing too
coulty or crazy, but then finished, our bigs were seated
by us, which was cool, and then some people had
their moms in there, which I was like, Wow, everyone's
in on it. And then we finished. Everyone went outside
(05:56):
kind of gathered with my friends.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
And we were all like, uh, during.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
How much longer we were going to be a part
of sorority life? And then realized that the initiation part
was kind of the only thing that was bizarre, in
that being in a sorority can be fun, except being
initiated is so weird. So that's my initiation story.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
I was rushing in twenty twenty during COVID at a
pretty big school, and so going into it, I knew
I wanted to rush because everything was enclosure and I
wanted to meet new friends and girls obviously, so I remember,
at least during the summer meet going into it, I
(06:55):
wasn't really like keeping up with what the top sororities were,
what their reps were. I kind of was just going
with the flow. But I remember over the summer, like
the top sorority like followed me on Instagram, and I
didn't really think much of it, and at least now
looking back, I know that's like definitely not what you're
(07:16):
supposed to do, Like you're not supposed to interact with
any of the p and ms, especially like before Rush.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
So they started.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Following me, and they even like followed me on think
like Visco and that was like in my Instagram bio
at the time.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
And so sign up for Rush.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Everything was like I said on Zoom during quarantine, which
in a way, looking back at it, I'm glad it
was that way because I don't think I could ever
do the twelve hours a day in heels and dresses.
But it was definitely interesting at least over Zoom did that.
And I remember like every time I would get called
(07:56):
back for said sorority that reached out to me on Instagram,
the President would always join the Zoom call, and.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
That definitely like put me on edge.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
For better or for worse, because if the president's listening
in on every time that you're joining the House, it
was clear that they wanted me to join. And so
I actually put said sorority as my second pref not
my first preth, and I got them, so I was
part of the sorority immediately. It was very forced, at
(08:29):
least with quarantine, it's kind of hard to make everything
feel natural and no one really knows what they're doing.
But I remember one of our first Sisterhood events was
like a sleepover, so we didn't actually sleepover, which was
very contradictory to the name, but what the sleepover entailed
(08:52):
was we all sat in a giant circle upstairs and
we passed around each to share a really traumatic story.
And this was part of the I guess bonding and cleep.
In mind, we don't know any of anyone else in
our pledge class because we don't get interactions at least
(09:12):
like outside of Zoom. I think this was one of
the first like in person events and everyone was passing
around this teddy bear and sharing like a really sad
story and it took like three hours. And after that,
I was like, I don't want to go to another
Sisterhood event. This was not only depressing, but don't really
feel any closer to anyone in my sorority whatsoever. So
(09:36):
I just didn't go. And my EXEC really did not
like that, which makes sense. My EXEC did not like
me because I didn't go to the sisterhood events or
the a lot of the exchange events. But This was
because also at the exchange events, we would sing.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
Really really outrageous songs. I even have some of them.
I'm like saved.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
I don't know if I can read them because it
does give away the name of the story. But we'd
seen these really raunchy songs essentially, and I was so
comfortable like singing the song, so it was basically like
I remember one of the lines was like it was
like me and put it in my mouth, like and
we had to stand there and like sing it in
front of all these frat guys. So I didn't go
(10:23):
to any of the exchanges or much of the SISTERED events,
and I remember when I would go to the chapter meetings,
the rules would be boobs or butt, not both. And
that's she's they're talking about. When you go to a party.
You can't show nothing, but you can't show both. So
some girls would choose to flaunt their boobs and the
(10:43):
other girls choose to flaunt their butt, but you can't
show both.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
And immediately it just felt very.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Like sexualized and uncomfortable, and along with the fact that
I didn't know any of these girls, it was just
essentially like the exec board who ares a year or
two older that us, sparking at us, telling us what
to sing about our bodies and like what to where
to these parties. And I remember one of the even
first chapter events is we don't call them frat boys,
(11:12):
we call them fraternity men. Like it was correcting our
verbiage on like the smallest things. Okay, So our initiation
ceremony was over zoom, and I remember it was like
during I want to say, like winter or Thanksgiving break.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
So I was at home doing this break this.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
Zoom from my room from home, and at least during
the initiation, you know, you have the candles, you have
the robes. That was all on zoom, so I'm pretty
sure it was just like a candle background and just
pressing through slideshows. And this actually is helping me remember
what the pref and bid process was. It was through
(11:52):
an email and like it was just congrats confetti across
your screen. So it was very anti climactic and you
didn't like meet anyone that was I didn't know anyone
in my pledge class until come the next year when
we did recruitment and I was on the other end.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
We had to.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
Stalk every girl come up with a list of like
top ones, middle ones that we wanted to recruit for
the sorority over the summer. So that definitely coincides with
at least my experience coming in as a freshman over
the summer.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
The sorority followed me, so they do. It's already like.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Curated, having a list of like their top choices, and
they would really go for girls like big following or
like girls that had a really good Instagram. It wasn't
necessarily based on like values obviously, because you can't really
depict someone's values from their Instagram.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
So it was very materialistic and like two D in
a way.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
It was very shallow, and I think that just goes
back to the fact that we all had to pass
around the stair until a sad story we could opt
to pass, but it there was literally like max five passes.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Okay, from what I remember of my initiation ceremony story,
it was a long time ago, but I remember we
spent the night at the sorority house. Kind of everybody
who was in the house left and so we were
all in rooms.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
I remember.
Speaker 6 (13:30):
Us being trying to be silly and like trying to
make pranes so they couldn't wake us up so early
because they were waking us up, but I think they
got rid of all the clocks so we couldn't see.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
But I think it felt like four am we were
getting woken up at. And so we like set like
water cups all up the stairs, so like it took
the uh, the active members longer to get to us,
which didn't end up working out super well, but we
thought it was funny. Anyways, I remember waking up super early.
Speaker 7 (13:58):
I think we all probably got an hour or two
of sleep, and so you just feel like you're in
a haze and have no idea what kind of what's
happening on they And this.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Is where I kind of remember some things. But I
remember putting on a robe kind of being either blindfolded
or my eyes were to close something.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
And I went into a room and I'm joined a
sorority that I was a legacy at. So my older
sister was in the same sorority at the same school,
and so I remember just like opening my eyes to
her being there. She was super emotional and I kind
(14:41):
of was just like, what is happening? Like this is
almost a little like creepy say it on seat, like
what is happening.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
I was just like, had no idea.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
I didn't know she was going to be there, but
also being off black of sleep and I'm a contagious crier,
so I saw her crying, so I started crying, and
I was just like there was so much which I
didn't understand at the time, just very like all these
like rituals and things being said that I just was like,
I don't know what's happening.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Later leave that room.
Speaker 6 (15:11):
So at that point it was just me and anybody
else who was a legacy. So there was a small
group of people in this one room being revealed with
whoever their legacy was or family member that was a
part of the same sorority, and then later being brought
into a different room that was much bigger, where my
big sister was.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
And this is where things aren't super clear. It just
was like really dark.
Speaker 6 (15:36):
Everyone was in robes, and I don't even remember the
traditional things that happened. I remember my big being behind me,
and then my blood sister, who i'm a legacy of,
being behind her.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
To initiate us. But the one thing I actually really
remember the most from this is that college game Day
from ESPN was at our school this week this week.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
For our big football game, and all of our friends
were going at like five am to stand out for
college game day, and we could not go.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Because it was initiation.
Speaker 6 (16:12):
So I just honestly remember wanting it to be over
so that I could go get dressed and go to
the football game and be with all the friends partying
for college game day. So looking back now, I'm like,
I wish I would have thought a little bit more
of it as sentimental, but I was just ready for
a good time, and so it was emotional, especially I
(16:34):
think more so because my sister was there and she
was just so happy and excited that I had chosen
the exact same house that she had gone through, And
that honestly was like the most memorable and biggest surprise
to me because I did not know she was going
to be there, so that was super special to have
that with her.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
And then I mean, I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
I think we all just like after that is ritual.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
Things happened that I cannot for the life of me remember.
For some reason, I think we were just so tired.
I was like, let's get to this football game, and.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Me and so many of my initiation class at that
point just left or like went and got ready together
and went to the game. And so it was really
fun and it had memorable parts, but it was also
a little I don't want to say creepy, but it
was a little creepy and kind of trying to be like,
what is this.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
It's so early, where are we?
Speaker 3 (17:30):
So it was a lot of emotions all over the place.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
I remember that I was in a sorority.
Speaker 8 (17:50):
I had a choice. There were five sororities in my college,
and for me, it was between two, but I decided
just to pick one and I matched there, so that
was my choice, and so I was called a suicide bid,
(18:13):
where you just pick one. If you don't get in
that one, you're not on authority. So I just picked one,
really excited about it, and we had a really beautiful
mascot that I really loved and appreciated, just the sweet
girls that I was with the initiation. The main thing
(18:34):
I remember is we walked in. We had candles. It's
kind of candles that you hold with a little thing
under it, and we had white robes and walked into
a dark room with just some candles around the sides
and very quiet, very solemn, like a ritual, and then
(19:03):
we all went into a circle, and we had our
pledge moms behind us, so they were like supporting us,
holding you know, holding holding on to us in the
circle in the dark with our candles. And then they
(19:24):
all started singing around us because they were all around
us too, so we felt really safe in this room.
And they all sang the song, the main song, which
was for this sorority, and then the president of authority started
speaking about the importance of getting together and the importance
(19:46):
of our group, and importance of our sorority, and that
we were basically in this, you know, for our lives,
and it just it meant a lot to me. I
don't remember a lot of the details because it was
so long ago. It was in the nineteen seventies, so
it was years and years ago, and I've had a
whole life since then and a whole career and family.
(20:08):
But I do remember the solemnness of it and the importance,
and I did feel like this was something I was
going to do for my life, that this was a
group of women that I was going to be with
for my life.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
And so I'm.
Speaker 8 (20:24):
Still in my alumni group. We still have meetings, and
it has continued to be an important thing, not just
the one thing, but an important part of my life
and at my school, because I was in a department
that was more creative, I was the only person that
(20:44):
was even interested in being in a sorority. My roommates
were not in sororities. They used to just kind of
joke with me about that I wanted to do it,
and I knew I wanted to do it. There wasn't
going to be anything that was going to stop me
from being in this group because I wanted to have
a full college experience. And so once we went through
(21:05):
the initiation, and once we ended that beautiful circle and
we sang the songs, and it was just joining a sisterhood,
a sisterhood that for me has lasted my whole life.
With different women and we've all been through the same
experience together. We all know our ritual, we all know
the reason that we're in this group and the beginnings
(21:28):
of the of the sorority and the importance of sisterhood
and being supportive of each other.
Speaker 9 (21:38):
So what I do remember is they locked us all
in a basement, all of the pledges and a basement.
It was like an overnight thing, and we had to
take a quiz on like the history of our sorority,
and we couldn't come out of the basement until we
passed the test. And then I remember the initiation was
(22:01):
just like a full like all overnight thing. And then
in the morning they we came upstairs and like all
of the you know, like the sorty sisters were dressed
in like all these like white like long gowns, but
(22:23):
they weren't like dresses, they were like sheets almost. It
was kind of strange, and we had to go in
three at a time to this room and then they
closed the door once everybody was in, and you sat
like face to face with your big wound up being
your big siss. I remember we kneeled face to face
(22:46):
and there was a bunch of like Latin kind of
like chanting things like songy sort of chance, and then
the president got up and spoke and gave us the password,
and then we learned the handshake, and then we kind
(23:08):
of like it was very somber and serious, and then
we all filed out after that, and then I really
don't remember much else after that. I also think it
was a long night, so I was probably tired.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
There you have it. Forget the theories, rumors, and speculation.
You now know what really happens when a pledge officially
joins the Sisterhood.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
If you have a.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Story to share, let us know and we will ensure
you remain anonymous until next time. This is dirty rush.
Hosts And Creators
Jackie Goldschneider
Jennifer Fessler
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