The Real Clincher was Preference Night.

I never imagined myself in a sorority. Believing that sororities were just cliques with Greek letters, I assumed that I would be excluded. I have never been accepted well by cliques.

After arriving at Mount Union, this anti-sorority attitude lasted maybe two months. Then suddenly I was surrounded by girls rushing sororities, girls asking me to join their sororities, and girls asking which sorority I was going to join. Sorority rush – whether or not I wanted to be involved – became everything on campus.

According to CollegeData.com, 50% of students participate in Greek life at Mount Union. My guess in 1983 would have been 98%. I could count on one hand the number of people I knew who weren’t involved with Greek life, other than freshmen who were waiting for their chance to get in.

Having rarely been accepted by women – any women – in the past, I didn’t expect to be accepted by women in a sorority either. Everyone assured me that it was tons of fun, and not to worry. I imagined I’d be rejected by all four of Mount Union’s sororities because who would want someone as anti-social as me?

My ideas started to shift when girls started saying things like “you’d be a great …” and “you’d really fit in with …” as if they wanted me to join their group. I started thinking I might not be completely on the outs.

But the real clincher was Preference Night.

Preference Night was when students officially chose the sorority or fraternity they “preferred.” And if lucky enough to be chosen by my preferred sorority, I would go to a big party at the sorority house. Lots of celebratory drinking was involved – and that was awesome.

Better still, the guys from all the fraternities would make the rounds from one sorority house to another, “welcoming” the girls with big, sloppy, drunken kisses. The four fraternities would wander into each of the four sorority houses, and everyone would kiss everyone else. This debauchery lasted all evening. (Obviously this was pre-pandemic; I can’t imagine what they did in 2021.)

The description of Preference Night sounded too good to be true. I could not miss that party! Plus … see above. Other than my ex-friend Connie, people seemed to want me in their group. Sorority rush became everything.

My greatest fear during Rush was that I wouldn’t get into the one sorority I truly loved: Alpha Chi Omega. I loved the girls who were already members, and the ones I didn’t know yet seemed incredibly fun. Many of my favorite upperclassmen were in that sorority, and all the freshmen I adored were pledging Alpha Chi, too.

Each sorority had its own personality. And after “rushing” and getting to know the various sororities, Alpha Chi seemed to be the best fit for me. In addition to the truly delightful personalities of the individuals, the group as a whole drank a sufficient amount of alcohol. And I wanted to be part of that.

The entire rush process made me feel less like a loner and more like … well, a sister.

Fortunately, Alpha Chi wanted me to be part of their group, and I was thrilled to get the invitation. I became a proud member of Alpha Chi Omega, standing in a circle full of girls singing by candlelight, being welcomed into the fold.

I remember the love, the feeling of belonging, the camaraderie between women. I remember feeling like I belonged somewhere – and that I had chosen the greatest group of girls in the world.

Oh yeah, and Preference Night was incredibly fun, too.

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