The Flipside offers different viewpoints by Aspen Grams and Katie Steele,co-editors of the Online Signal, on campus issues. This week’s article gives you two sides to the pledge week experience. One side offers tips to help you get through the next couple weeks if you are going through rush and pledge week. The other gives advice for those of you who choose to stay independent.
A Pledge’s Survival Guide by Aspen Grams
A new semester is upon us, and campus is buzzing with excitement. Freshmen whisper amongst themselves, clubs make final preparations and independents shake their heads at all the commotion. It is rush season, and soon campus will bustle with new pledges in their matching outfits.
The thrill of rush week coupled with the dread of pledge week can be overwhelming. If you feel this way, you are not alone. Over a hundred others are in the same boat as you, and even more can remember how it felt to be in your shoes. I for one remember the feeling, so I have compiled some helpful tips into a pledge’s survival guide.
If you are going to survive these next two weeks, the first thing you need to do is get enough sleep. Waiting for the bids to slide under your door is nerve wracking, and many times, clubs are voting into the early morning. Instead of losing sleep over a back ordered bid, hit the sack as soon as you get back to your dorm. The bids you received will still be there the next morning, and you will save yourself some mental exhaustion.
The next survival tip is to get ahead on as much homework as you can. The more homework you get done during rush week, the better. Pledge week is filled with errands, meetings and pledge duties. By getting some assignments out of the way, you save yourself from unnecessary all-nighters, lessen your stress levels and keep your grades up. It will, of course, require more work during rush week, but you will thank yourself for the extra effort later.
Once pledge week hits, the one bit of advice you need to take to heart is keep an open mind. You will be stretched, and you will learn new things about yourself as well as those who pledge alongside you. Keep that in mind as you go through pledging. Remember that the members have been where you are, they have done what you are doing and they really want to see you succeed.
At the same time, remember those who pledged a different club as well as those who didn’t pledge at all. So many times, friends turn cold shoulders once they pledge because they chose to go different clubs or because one pledged and one didn’t.
There is no reason to drop friendships this semester. Each club is unique just as each person on this campus is unique. What may be right for you may not be right for your friend who lives down the hall, and not everyone feels the need to join a club.
Don’t let pledging get in the way of friendships. We are a diverse student body. We have different interests, different views and different aspirations. A club becomes part of your identity, but it does not define you.
Your identity is first in Christ. He defines you, he sustains you and he is there for you through everything. This is my last bit of advice. Whatever your friends choose, whether it is the same club you choose, a different club or no club at all, remember that we are all members of one body in Christ.
With that in mind, as rush season comes to full bloom and pledge week rolls around, “let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together… but let us encourage one another.” Hebrews 10:23-25.
An Independent’s Look at Pledge Week by Katie Steele
Social clubs are a very important part of our university. I think they’re vital to the traditions Ouachita holds so dear and they foster a sense of unity within themselves, creating yet another forum on campus for forming lifetime friendships.
Along those same lines, people who choose not to pledge are also of great significance to this campus.
Whether you choose to pledge or not, remember we’re all a part of one body and there’s room for friendships to grow between members of all clubs and organizations on campus. Being an independent myself, I have friends on both sides of the spectrum. My very best friend on campus is in a social club and I have other close friends who are independents.
So my advice for rush and pledge week for those who choose not to pledge? See this week as an opportunity to expand your friendships outside of your normal posse. Find a friend who might have a little more time on their hands than friends who chose to pledge and plan something for the two of you to do.
But in expanding your friendships, don’t forget about those buds of yours who did choose to pledge. In fact, take a second to write them a quick note of encouragement or send them a text that you’re praying for them that week. You could even go as far as to do their laundry during pledge week because, Lord knows, they won’t have the time. Whatever you can do to be a friend and create further unity in the Ouachita body, do it. For pledges, pledge week is one of the busiest and most stressful weeks of their year and, after all, we’re all Ouachitonians.
So if social clubs just aren’t for you, remember there are plenty of other campus-wide activities for both pledges and independents to participate in. You can start with the Campus Ministries Pancake Palooza this Saturday, Jan. 29 from 9-11 a.m. Then, join CAB for the Campus-Wide Skate Party on Tuesday, Feb. 1 from 6-9 p.m. at the Crystal Palace Skate Center. The cost is $3 at the door.