Category Archives: 20S Dartmouth Greek Life: Rush Folklore

Invitation Letter/Card

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Title: Invitation Letter/Card

Information about Item:

  • Form of material and customary folklore
  • Informant: S.I.
  • Date Collected: 5/8/2020

Informant Data:

  • S.I. is a female member of the Class of 2021 at Dartmouth. She is affiliated with Greek Life, and she is from California.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural: A letter or card is given to you that invites you to be part of the house. The letter is usually signed by the president and the recruitment chair of the house.
  • Social: This information was collected through a video chat interview.

Item:

  • A letter or card that is sent to the individual as an official invitation to be part of the house

Collector’s Name: Gia Kim

Tags/Keywords:

  • Material folklore
  • Customary folklore
  • Letter
  • card
  • rush

Rush Lunches

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Title: Rush Lunches

Information about Item:

  • Customary folklore
  • Informant: S.B.
  • Collected 5/17/2020

Informant Data:

S.B. is a member of the Class of 2020 at Dartmouth from New Jersey. He is affiliated with Greek Life and is studying Mathematics.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural: Rush lunches may be a part of the Interfraternity Council rush process.
  • Social: This item was collected through a video chat interview. According to the informant, rush lunches add a new component to the rush process by allowing more personal connections to be formed. The potential new members are able to get to know current members of the specific organization.

Item:

Rush Lunches are organized events where members of a specific fraternity may go to lunch with a potential new member.

Collector’s Comments:

I found this item to be informative of fraternity rush, as it displays an aspect of the rush process that occurs in smaller groups and allows for more conversation. It seems as though this would help potential new members decide if they are interested in a specific fraternity.

Collector: Meredith Srour

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary folklore
  • Fraternity rush

Rho gamma

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Title: Rho gamma

Information about Item:

  • Form of verbal folklore
  • Informant: M.N.
  • Date Collected: 5/10/2020

Informant Data:

  • M.N. is a female member of the Class of 2022 at Dartmouth. She is affiliated with Greek Life, and she is from Boston.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural: Every potential new member participating in sorority rush is assigned to a rho gamma, who guides them through the rush process. Rho gammas are affiliated but their affiliations are kept secret from the potential new members throughout the whole rush process. They are serve as a resource for potential new members to ask questions or make reports with confidentiality.
  • Social: This information was collected through a video chat interview.

Item:

  • A word that refers to a confidential resource that helps and leads potential new members throughout the rush process for sororities.

Collector’s Name: Gia Kim

Tags/Keywords:

  • Verbal folklore
  • Customary folklore
  • Saying
  • Sorority rush

Rush Round Themes

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Title: Rush Round Themes

Information about Item: 

  • Material folklore
  • Customary folklore
  • Informant: H.W.
  • Collected 5/13/2020

Informant Data:

H.W. is a member of the Class of 2020 at Dartmouth from Portland, OR. She is affiliated with Greek Life at Dartmouth.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural: Rush rounds are the three steps of the Inter-sorority Council (ISC) sorority rush process taking place over 1.5 weeks.
  • Social: The item was collected through a video chat interview. Only current members of the organization dress according to the theme. According to the informant, the social significance of this item is that it is a way to “be memorable” to potential new members and ultimately tells something about the specific organization.

Item:

Current members of sororities may dress according to different themes for the three rounds of the rush process. Some examples given by the informant are Outer Space theme and Rock and Roll theme.

Collector’s Comments:

This item made clear the importance of how the Greek organization presents itself to potential new members during the rush process.

Collector: Meredith Srour

Tags/Keywords:

  • Material folklore
  • Customary folklore
  • Sorority Rush
  • Themes

 

 

House Gear

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Title: House Gear

Information about Item:

  • Form of material and customary folklore
  • Informant: L.G.
  • Date Collected: 5/8/2020

Informant Data:

  • L.G. is a female member of the Class of 2022 at Dartmouth. She is affiliated with Greek Life, and she is from New York.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural: The clothing represents their membership within the house. Individuals are also able to tell what term the person has joined the house depending on the house gear they are wearing because a house usually makes 2-3 new house gears every 2 terms.
  • Social: This information was collected through a video chat interview.

Item:

  • Members wear “house gear” to show that there are a member of that house.

Collector’s Name: Gia Kim

Tags/Keywords:

  • Material folklore
  • Customary folklore
  • Clothing
  • Sorority rush

Fraternity Shake Out

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Title: Fraternity Shake Out

Information about Item:

  • Customary folklore
  • Verbal folklore
  • Informant: K.I.
  • Collected 5/18/2020

Informant Data:

The informant, K.I., is a member of the Class of 2020 at Dartmouth. He is from Massachusetts. At Dartmouth, he is affiliated with Greek Life and is studying Engineering.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural: Shake Out is a part of the Interfraternity Council rush process.
  • Social: The information was collected through a video chat interview. Participants in Shake Out are potential new members of the Greek organizations, and the event indicates possible intent to join a specific house.

Item:

Shake Out is a two-night event that occurs during fraternity rush. For this event, potential members must shake the hands of current members. Additionally, during Shake Out, potential members communicate their interest in a Greek organization by signing their name in a book.

Collector’s Comments: 

I found this item to be interesting, as it indicates a unique component of the fraternity rush process. I was not aware of the details of this process prior to the interview.

Collector’s Name: Meredith Srour

Tags/Keywords: 

  • Customary folklore
  • Verbal folklore
  • Fraternity rush

Sorority Pref Night Clothing

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Title: Sorority Pref Night Clothing

Information about Item:

  • Material folklore
  • Customary folklore
  • Informant: M.F.
  • Date Collected: 5/8/2020, 5/17/2020

Informant Data:

  • M.F. is a female member of the Class of 2022 at Dartmouth. She is affiliated with Greek Life, and she is from Minnesota.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural: Pref night is the third and final “round” of Inter-Sorority Council rush, where each round is a different step of the process. After pref night, potential new members must determine which sorority they are interested in joining.
  • Social: This information was collected through a video chat interview. All current members of the Greek organization and selected potential new members must participate in pref night. The significance of dressing in more formal attire for pref night may be out of respect and to demonstrate that the matter is taken seriously.

Item:

  • On pref night, potential new members and current members of the organization must dress formally, often in all black clothing.

Collector’s Comments:

I recognized a similarity between this item and a different item collected- Fraternity Shake Out Clothing. It seems that formal attire is a common feature of both.

Collector’s Name: Meredith Srour

Tags/Keywords:

  • Material folklore
  • Customary folklore
  • Clothing
  • Sorority rush