If sleep-deprived, goofily-dressed students are running around Lipscomb, do not worry, it just means Pledge Week has started.
Bid Night kicked off the pledging process Thursday night in Alumni Auditorium. Pledges, or “new member orientees,” were introduced on stage in front of all of Greek life and many other members of the Lipscomb student body.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking getting up on stage in front of everyone,” said Nola Mullican, a pledge of Delta Sigma who had to “grr” when she introduced herself as part of the process.
The pledges of the various social clubs cheered and chanted in the auditorium, waiting to be called on to the stage to be formally introduced into Greek Life.
Each club president announced the number of pledges they were taking, and then allowed the pledges to introduce themselves. Many of the female clubs had their pledges sing a song and do a dance number, while the male clubs took a more serious approach to introductions, but there were a few exceptions.
New male social club Theta Psi had their pledges perform a stomp routine, and female club Kappa Chi had their pledges do their best runway walk while introducing themselves. Male club Sigma Omega Sigma had their pledges hold a garden gnome as they belted their introductions to the crowd.
One spectacle that was missed at this semester’s Bid Night was male club Delta Tau’s skits that are usually performed by pledges.
“This year is a little different because we decided not to take pledges,” said Blake Mitchell, a member of Delta Tau. “I missed seeing our guys up on stage, but we just wanted to focus this week on the existing club instead of adding on to it. Spring is a big enough pledge class that we don’t really have to do pledging in the fall.”
The spring semester Bid Night is usually known for being more rowdy due to more pledges being taken because freshman are not eligible to pledge until spring, but this fall Bid Night outshined previous years in energy and enthusiasm.
“Bid Night was a blast this year,” said Craig Harwell, a member of Sigma Iota Delta. “There was more excitement for this fall rush process than I’ve ever seen. It’s awesome that social clubs are getting bigger each year, and I’m so excited for these pledges to join the Greek life family.”
Pledging will continue for ten days and end with initiation on Sept. 13. In the mean time, it is best to expect the unexpected from classmates undergoing pledging.