Spring Social House Rush Concludes

Author: Thomas McCann

Middlebury College's spring rush for social houses drew to a close in early March. According to the regulations set up by the Inter-House Council (IHC), which set the framework for the Rush process, each house organized at least five events with each applicant required to attend a minimum of three.
While all the houses follow the same guidelines, each one designates something different for its applicants. Michael Velez '04, the president of Zeta Theta Phi (ZOO), commented that "the rush events range from study breaks to games and cookouts." David Sharp '03, president of The Mill, said that its process is "more about having a good time as we already know almost all the people who are pledging and they already have a good sense of the house."
Xenia House attracted eight rush members, a number which Xenia Persident Emily Owen '05 said is 'high for a spring class." Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) and Zoo both reported smaller rush classes this semester than in previous years. Sharp reported tha the Mill's rush class is up from "three or four" in previous semesters to "11 or 12."
A major problem confronting social houses at present is their image in the eyes of the general student body. The notion that alcohol underpins social house life is strongly disputed by Sharp. "A lot of people view the social houses as an organized way to dispense alcohol," said Sharp. "That's like saying Thanksgiving dinner is just an organized way of dispensing turkey and mashed potatoes."
Furthermore, for those students who want the social house scene but without the alcohol, Xenia provides the only sub-free social housing. Owen explained, "Xenia offers an alternative to those who don't want that atmosphere" even offering a 'mock'-tail party before the Winter Ball.
All the social houses are active in the Middlebury College community, with each involved in at least one community service project. President of Omega Alpha (Tavern) Geoffrey Martin '04 said "As part of the pledge process, we require that each member do a minimum of four hours of community service each semester and many members exceed this requirement greatly." Jennette commented, "We are involved in lots of community service projects such as the T. Ragan Ryan Memorial Run." Aside from this, a multitude of athletes, musicians, actors and leaders of various organizations live in social housing, gainsaying the negative perception of social house residents held by some students.
Karen Guttentag, IHC advisor, said, "They hold themselves and each other responsible for addressing recurring problems, share advice, and support each other. I can think of few other campus organizations that are self-critiquing in this way."
Daniel Visel '04, president of Alpha Delta Phi (ADP), seemed to embody the widespread view of those involved in social housing when he noted, "Most students and faculty have no idea the amount of responsibility taken on and the obstacles that have to be overcome. Until people truly understand the system they will continue to make biased judgments."
Martin emphasized, "It's about being part of a tradition and making that tradition stronger, but perhaps most importantly it's about being a part of a group that will be there for you, and will make your college experience more fulfilling."