Are These Letters Even Greek? Why I Thought Rush was Going Well Until They Asked How Many Pushups I Could do in a Minute

Coming to Vandy, I was unsure about a lot of things. Would the name on my degree be so blinding to employers that I could land a lucrative job even though I majored in English? Would the walk from Commons to Grins each day be enough to fend off the freshman 15? What was a “Darty,” and was it any different from a “Date Party?” With all these doubts flooding my head, I found peace in the only certainty I had: going Greek.

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of the day I would join a sorority and be embraced by my new sisters. My mother had gone to a weird liberal arts college where they preferred performing Greek bacchanals to actual Greek life. Thanks to her, I was coming into Vanderbilt at a disadvantage. How was I supposed to optimize my chances of making it into a top tier sorority if I didn’t have a legacy connection and didn’t know the difference between philanthropy and sisterhood?

Nevertheless, I persisted. I made sure to talk with girls from all the different sororities. What they say is true, though: you know immediately when you’ve found your new home. I found mine talking to a girl named Sergeant decked in camo and sporting the tightest bun. People really come up with the most unique baby names these days!

The benefits of Rho Omega Tau Chi sounded unbelievable. We would get matching outfits, access to a shared closet called “the armory” and we’d even get to go on a special trip abroad after graduating. All of this and we wouldn’t even have to pay dues! In fact, they’d be paying us!

So I went into the first week of rush super excited. We started off with interviews. I loved the emphasis the questions put on leadership and teamwork. For instance, they asked me what I might do if a bomb was thrown at me and my sisters, or how I would respond if kidnapped by another sorority and asked to tell all of our secret rituals. These questions really challenged my idea of teamwork, but it was definitely for the better. I knew from the start that I wanted to be among a group of women who value collaboration, so much so that we almost seem to blend into one another. 

In the next interview, things started to get a little weird.

For starters, my interviewer was a MAN? But I knew that a lot of sororities were heading towards being more progressive and inclusive. Rho had to really be the most progressive sorority on campus if they let a man in! He even had one of the sweet little matching outfits and everything and a cute name too (“Cadet,” he must be French). 

Then he asked me to “drop and give him 20.” I was confused. I thought there were no dues, but at this point I was desperate. I asked if he took Apple Pay or Venmo, but then he explained that he wanted me to do push-ups. What does physical fitness even have to do with Greek life? I did it anyway, though. I’d started taking spin classes at the Rec so, I mean, if you’ve got it you may as well flaunt it.

Apparently that was all they needed to see and I was offered a bid on the spot. I wasn’t sure if this was that “dirty rushing” I had heard of, but I definitely didn’t care. I’m proud to be PC ‘22 of ROTC! Can’t wait to serve with my new sisters!

Wait. What?

ROTC isn’t… affiliated… with Greece?

It’s affiliated with the United States? 

Of America? 
I have to do what after I graduate????