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Pledging takes a different form at every college. For new pledges at Olivet, the two-week pledging period from Friday Jan. 20 through Friday, Feb. 3, shows the dedication, heart, and unity within societies.
With many pledging traditions going unseen to the non-Greek students at Olivet, Running Night, the most public, kicks off the pledging process, and shows a taste of what the pledges have signed up for. For active Greeks on campus, this night is one they look forward to every year.
Senior Jillian Nickels has been a part of Sigma Beta for four years now. Running night not only brings her excitement for what is to come, but also allows her to reflect on her time as a Sigma.
“Running Night is one of the best nights of the year,” Nickels said. “Sigma Beta is looking forward to bringing in another great group of girls to continue our legacy and to join an amazing sisterhood that we share. I think this year is going to be one of the best and I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for Olivet College Greek Life!” For some students though, this is a year of firsts. For sophomore Lane Porter, this pledge class will be the first class after his. This would also be the first time he truly had a band of brothers.
“Being an only child was rough growing up,” Porter said in a sit down interview. “I pledged Adelphic because I wanted to experience life outside of football. I only had my teammates to rely on each and every day.”
Not only is Adelphic looking forward to bringing in strong pledges, they are also looking forward to seeing new pledges go through this exciting experience. “Having a great number of pledges is great for the house; it expands the diversity of the house. Running Night shows the different amount of people who are ready to be a part of something better than themselves; joining a house and being a part of something that they can be proud of,” Porter said.
This year, some societies truly will find strength in numbers. For example, Mu Omega Pi (Mu) has consistently had some of the smallest pledge classes…until now.
“As of right now we are looking to have 15 pledges this pledge season,” junior Mu member Jared Brickley said in a sit down interview. “This will be the most pledges Mu Omega Pi has had in over five years in one pledging season. As one of the newest fraternities on campus, we are super excited about this year simply because it’s great seeing this fraternity flourish and expand.”
Each society has its own traditions, from clothing to artifacts, chants to service projects. One thing is for sure, pledges will be easy to spot across campus. The Greeks also have a number of special events to help keep members motivated, from games to service projects and then the final weekend of celebration when pledges cross over and become full-fledged members of the campus societies.