On the Sorority Scene, Daily Party Provides High Drama for Rushees

The Alpha Phis of Cal State Northridge were primped, powdered and perfumed, awash in maroon and white and shouting their sorority song while 40 young women, most of them freshmen, waited anxiously outside a room in the Student Union, adjusting their dresses and fluffing their hair.

The anticipation built for several moments until, finally, the doors swung open and the newcomers filed in, pairing off with veteran sorority members who were still clapping their hands and belting out their lines.

The next 30 minutes were devoted to observing everything from speech patterns to nail polish and preparing for the big decision later that week, a decision, members and rushees say, that could affect them for years to come.

Last Thursday was Day One of sorority rush at CSUN, and it drew 328 potential pledges, the largest group in campus history. There are eight national sororities on campus that participate in the week’s activities; all of them have houses nearby, in which half a dozen members live.

Rush, which derives its name from the frenzied pace of activities, is intended to be a festive week in which young women explore Greek life on campus by attending parties and ultimately choosing a house with which to affiliate.

But this week of parties is not a mirror image of fraternity rush.

“The rush for girls is much more formal than for guys,” said counselor Jenny Oltmann. “It can get very emotional if you don’t get invited back, and there are always a few each year who get no invitations. It’s really hard. We’ll call them and talk to them and try to make them see that it’s nothing they’ve done. They’re not worthless people.”

Rush administrator Jamie Rigney, speaking to the women before they embarked on their first day of activities, tried to prepare the newcomers, who pay a $25 registration fee, for what they would encounter at the get-acquainted parties.

“The first one will be tremendously terrifying,” she said. “The second one will be a little easier. And, by the time you’ve been to the eighth party, it’s old hat.”

But despite attempts to brief them, many had no idea what to expect.

“It was overwhelming,” said Michelle Raphael, a 1988 graduate of Reseda High School. “They’re all singing and clapping. And when you first walk in, you’re so excited. It’s like, God, how do you explain it? There’s so many people there, and they all want to meet you.”

Second-year student Erin Swirsky planned to be casual and cool about the parties. “But then,” she said, “you’re outside the door and you hear the singing and your heart stops beating and your stomach drops out, and everything changes.”

Although sorority leaders minimize the social aspect of their groups, preferring instead to talk about leadership, social etiquette, philanthropy and scholarship, the prospect of new friends is the biggest draw for most new members. No one wants to spend a weekend alone, many rushees said, and at a largely commuter campus like CSUN, Greek life offers the best chance for a busy calendar.

“It’s been great,” gushed freshman Lisa Anne Boyle, a tall, striking blonde from Chatsworth who received invitations to return to all eight houses. “The girls all are really friendly and outgoing.”

Rush week began with an orientation in the Student Union. The orientation included a fashion show to suggest appropriate attire and keep potential pledges from committing the sin of wearing shorts to any of the weeklong activities.

“Dress to impress,” suggested Wendy Wright, who emceed the show. “Nice but comfortable” for the first two days, she said, “casual but nice” for the the third and fourth days, and “a cocktail dress or something more formal” for the fifth and final day.

The program also featured a slide show highlighting Greek life on campus. Pictures of sorority women hugging each other, their boyfriends--or in some cases, their teddy bears--popped across the screen to the beat of “I’ve Had the Time of My Life,” from the movie “Dirty Dancing.”

“You want to be like them, kinda,” said Swirsky.

In recent years, sorority leaders here have tried to project a more sophisticated image, focusing increasing attention on leadership skills and job preparation and comparing sorority rush to a corporate-job interview.

“We’ve had to fight the stigma of frat parties,” said Janice Morris, vice president of the Panhellenic Executive Council, which represents the eight sorority houses at CSUN. “We’re trying to promote the woman image, not the girl image, not the partying, the drinking.”

None of that mattered to freshman Lisa Ross, however, as she stood in the Student Union and prepared to attend the second day of parties. She had spent more than an hour dressing for the occasion, finally settling on a white leather miniskirt, a beaded black top and spiked heels.

“I wanted to make sure everything was right,” she said.

“I’m nervous,” conceded Susan Caruso, another potential pledge who transferred to CSUN from a junior college in Cupertino and had her sights set on three of the larger and best-known houses: Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Phi.

“I hope they like me,” she said.