Fraternity Life, Episode 1: The Rush is On

At long last, we get to see the last hurdle a rushee must cross: the interview. The interviews are apparently very serious (more serious than I expected) and the boys at SCO go out of their way to make the rushees feel uncomfortable. All 33 brothers are in the room, and it’s dark, except for a rather large spotlight in the center of the room. The light is positioned over a chair, the seat of honor for all of the rushees. George, the pledgemaster (and a strong candidate for Honorary Gay Boy next week!), explains that he enjoys making the rushees nervous – he thinks it’s funny. George also tells us that after the interviews are over, the votes are completed by secret ballot. If just three out of the 33 brothers vote “no” on a rushee, the rushee doesn’t get a bid. What’s this? You mean the minority controls the frat house? What is this, the United States Senate?

After a litany of rushees who I can’t bring myself to be interested in file through (I remind you, gentle reader, that many haven’t been blessed with a story line yet), the main events arrive. As you recall, Alex (the “whipped” boy with the bitch girlfriend) de-pledged last year, after feeling pressure to do so from her. He worries that the brothers are going to want to ask him questions specifically directed to this situation.

He has reason to worry. I must say at this point that although Alex is being painted as “whipped,” he seems like nothing but a great guy to me. He’s thoughtful, polite, handsome, well spoken, and frankly should be a shoo-in for a second chance. However, the brothers take aim almost immediately, inquiring about his girlfriend, and her rumored hold over Alex. They also press him on why he de-pledged – many of the brothers found this to be a bit of an insult last year. Alex vehemently denies that his girlfriend controls him, but after he completes his interview and leaves, the brothers chat about his honesty. Some of the brothers apparently feel that Alex is a little too “whipped” to be part of SCO.

Finally, Grant hits the hot seat. After Grant gives the answer of “loyalty” in response to a question about the definition of a “brother,” a few guys turn his response against him. They ask him “hypothetically” if he thinks it’s loyal to date a girl that a brother asked him not to date. Again, I am just livid; wow, there’s that word again. People, the girl in question was an EX-girlfriend of a brother, meaning she’s fair game. Frankly, if I were Grant, I would have been a bit more blunt (shocking, I know). But Grant is more polite, and he tries to wiggle his way out of the questions by qualifying them with guarded responses. After the nightmare is over, Adam (our secretary and doorperson) takes Grant aside and explains that he had nothing to do with the rapid-fire questions, and that the brothers just heard about the situation on their own. Yeah, and Frederique could actually be The Mole. That’ll be the day…

After Grant leaves, the brothers vote by secret ballot. To their astonishment, 13 out of the now 18 rushees were eliminated, meaning they received at least 3 “no” votes. This doesn’t sit well with many of the brothers, who are livid (damn it Brent, stop it) that they just spent 5 hours interviewing guys, and now only have 5 bids to hand out. Adam notes in his confessional that he doesn’t even know if there will be a pledge class now. Um, well, they sort of have to have a pledge class, as this is sort of the point of the whole show. Something tells me that MTV will help them change their minds.

Next week: Pledgemaster George turns into BadAss George, as we’re treated to visions of him putting the new pledge class (apparently they got one) through the wringer: push-ups, screaming, the whole bit. I can’t wait.

Brent Wolgamott is a sophomore at North Carolina State University, majoring in chemistry. He enjoys tennis, running, and reality TV. He was also once a contestant on his favorite show, The Price is Right, and won over $8,000 in prizes. After completing his stint in the U.S. Army, he met the love of his life, McCrae Hardy, and he lives with him and their two cats, Shelby and Frank, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is also a member of the board of the local chapter of the ACLU, working to protect your rights. Brent always loves to hear your thoughts on his writing, and he can be reached at brentwolgamott@aol.com.

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