Text 1
Contributor: Lindsey B
Informant: Jacob Phillips
Title: Rituals in Fraternity Life
Semester, Year: Fall, 2005
J.P. One tradition that we have is lavaliering. When a guy in Alpha Beta (pseudonym) gives his girlfriend his Alpha Beta ring meaning that, you know, it is very serious and probably one day they will end up in marriage. So after he lavaliers her, one fateful night, haha, the Alpha Beta brothers and his pledge class kidnap him and put him in a chair and tape him, saran wrap him, to the chair. They put ice on his genitals and shave his head and get him really drunk. They then produce him to the sorority of his girlfriend and leave him there in the formal or on the front yard. This has been a tradition that has been passed down for a long time at the chapter.
J.P. It has changed a lot recently compared to how it used to be. This has ended a lot of our rituals, traditions, whatever. But one we still have is Dad’s night. This is when all the upperclassmen in the house pick one of the pledges as their son. That night, the pledges get their father which gives them a mentor to look up to for the rest of pledgeship. That night is one of the times the pledges get to hang out with the house during pledgeship. It is a really good night for the pledges because they just get to drink and have a good time.
Context: This interview was performed in the kitchen of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house on December 1, 2005 at night. There was one other person present during the interview, Amanda Meyer, who was interviewed at a later time. Jacob Phillips is a senior, Caucasian, 21 year old male, and has been a member of his fraternity since his freshmen year at college. He is a close friend and therefore the interview was conducted in a very informal manner. Phillips is now a live out, but he still actively participates in the initiation process of his fraternity.