Almost exactly a year ago, I found myself frantically preparing for my first pre-rush event. I was convinced that my hair, makeup and outfit all had to be perfect. I was worried that I would say something dumb or weird that would likely forever ruin my chances of getting into a sorority. When I got to the first event, I immediately gravitated toward the food and started gorging myself while trying to make conversation with one of the sisters. It was stressful to try to come off as super outgoing and cool while struggling to eat a cupcake somewhat elegantly. Afterwards, my friends and I talked tirelessly about our brief and ultimately distorted impressions of the house we visited and debated whether we would want to rush there. And come the next event, we did it all over again.
It was exhausting. I spent so much time thinking and talking about a process that I wouldn't even experience for another four months. And in the end, it didn't really do me any good. When rush came, I found myself having the same old conversations and preoccupations. I wasn't any wiser, rush wasn't any less intimidating and my place in a house didn't seem any more certain. I wondered if I should have done more to prepare for the process, like going out of my way to seek out sisters or being super facetimey in general. Then I realized how ridiculous I was being. Rush had compelled me to embrace a detestable superficiality, and I was embarrassed for not only myself but also my peers for getting so caught up in the process.
Yet our Greek system rewards such behavior. Girls are encouraged to put on a face and network with upperclasswomen not because they genuinely like them, but because of their desire to be in a house. They are encouraged to suppress the quirks, problems and potentially unpopular beliefs that actually make them real human beings in order to live up to the unremittingly sweet, bubbly and fun-loving female ideal at Dartmouth. This social climbing shapes the elitism and shallowness that many of us are quick to cite as some of the worst aspects of the Greek system.
Of course, this superficiality does indeed break down once a girl has joined a house, but it is often slow and limited. Sophomore summer is often praised as the time when girls in the same sorority class actually become closer. But it is a shame that girls who rush in the fall have to endure so many months of the same sort of shallowness that initially made them wary of the rush process. Clearly, the Greek system and its method of recruitment require significant reform.
Yet reforming the rush process as it currently exists would be considerably difficult due to national organizations' policies. I personally believe that all Greek houses should be made local. This would allow for the presence of female-controlled social spaces, unrestrained by ridiculous rules made by nationals, and would mark a notable step towards gender equality on this campus.
Most importantly, I have no doubt that the College would see a significant decrease in the number of cases of sexual assault. In pursuing defiance of the unbecoming and hurtful superficiality that currently plagues our social system, affiliated students, as members of newly local houses, would have full freedom to shape a better system and rush process.
Pre-rush wouldn't have to take the form of two-hour meet and greets in the spring. Rush wouldn't have to be squeezed into four days. It could span over months, much like the informal process at fraternities, allowing for the development of meaningful relationships with sisters and significantly less stress. Affiliation wouldn't boil down to how a girl presented herself on a given day for forty-five minutes. It would be the result of a real sense of place and a connection with a certain group of girls, allowing for a true bond among sisterhoods. Girls at Dartmouth wouldn't feel such a need to put on a show for one another; they could actually relax and enjoy each other's company.
