Text 3
Contributor: Lindsey B
Informant: Amanda Meyer
Title: Rituals in Sorority Life
Semester, Year: Fall, 2005
A.M. Well, when we first get initiated we have a really fun week, “totally sober”, get to know you type deal. So the night of initiation which happens a few weeks after bid week, they lock us up in the upstairs sleeping area and steal our watches, food cards, cell phones, and let us loose. This is where we basically for the first time we get to meet and get to know our new pledge sisters on a non-party level. Lots of fun stories come out. Somewhere close to this, we get to experience sheiking.
A.M. Sheiking is tradition among our chapter. It is a way for us to really make our mark in the frat scene. We collect anything and everything that will make us look silly and hilarious such as bras over our tanks, and underwear over pants, crowns, boas, anything you can find that will stay attached to our body. Then we get drunk and all gather around in the kitchen and practice the infamous songs. We then proceed to run through all the popular frats on campus, screaming, banging, and singing on the tops of our lungs. After we get them riled up and excited, umm, they all congregate in a big room and we dance around them. They love it, we love it and it always something to look forward to. Another ritual that we do that is a little more serious is called the candlelight. This is really something that we do on our own just for fun. Well, one night, we get together in a room with one candle. Each person has a turn to speak truthfully and open up to her pledge sisters about anything from if she is having trouble or problems or something intimate about her family or past or something just like how happy they are to be in kappa. It is just really neat to get to know your sisters beyond the normal every day chit chat. There is always a lot of laughing, crying, and everything in between. Ummm, I think that is it.
Context: This interview was performed on December 1, 2005 in the Kappa Kappa Gamma kitchen during the evening. Meyer is a 20 year old, Caucasian, junior in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at IU. Meyer was one of my roommates at the time and therefore felt very relaxed and comfortable sharing information about rituals at Kappa. As previously mentioned, Meyer was present during Phillips interview, however, he was not present during her interview.