On Friday night, fraternities put away their alcohol and opened their doors to potential new members in the first — likely annual — Fall Recruitment Weekend.

PLEDGES!

Have you heard that recently?

TAKE OFF YOUR BLINDFOLDS!

Listen up! He is your brother, and he is talking to you! He is “educating” you on how to become a True Gentleman. He is educating you about the highest principles and — RECITE! — about ACTIONS WORTHY OF THE HIGHEST PRECEPTS OF TRUE MANHOOD, DEMOCRACY AND HUMANITY (or truth or honor or whatever).

I think I only vaguely knew I would quit, standing there in a smoky living room full of guys who were usually my friends, but who were now growling at me to memorize these words they were at once betraying. You can do a lot with democracy; you cannot memorize it.

For those who desire a unique cultural experience from fraternities or sororities, the Multicultural Greek Letter Council offers several options. While most who take part in multicultural rush come from minority groups, the organizations stress that by no means do they exclude based on race.

This year, MGLC recruitment has seen an increase in interest, which corresponds with an increase in prospective rushees across Greek organizations on campus. Over the past few years, “Greek life has expanded,” said Nicholas Diaz ’10, president of MGLC. “We’ve gone from four chapters to 17.” 

If Barack Obama were rushing a sorority, he would be the number one recruit. First impressions are his specialty, flirting with girls is in his blood and keeping a smile plastered on his face in the most awkward of situations is a talent he possesses. While changing into four-inch heels in negative eight degree weather and sprinting up Libe Slope may not be his cup of tea, I am confident that Obama’s daily morning workouts would prepare him to be first in line for each and every house.

Hoards of students returned to Ithaca in waves last Monday, a full week before the scheduled start of classes, in order to rush sororities and fraternities. While sorority rush is strictly dry and confined to the daytime, men rushing the Greek system are encouraged to attend late-night beer-soaked parties at prospective houses.

The Inter Fraternity Council points to statistics suggesting that evening events are only of secondary importance to students who consider joining a house; the fraternities themselves, however, continue to lavish outlandish sums of money on rush week parties, and it is not uncommon, as a result, for a house’s rush budget to run in the tens of thousands of dollars.