City Personals

Mary Clay Brooks
City Personals

Ole Miss fraternities had their fall rush a week ago. I was fortunate enough to be able to go down the first day and bid day. Not knowing what to expect, it was an eye opener.

Thankfully parking is wide open on campus for weekends. I secured a great spot right at the SAE house. The house itself had the actives food catered, but all of us Mommas brought snacky things for them in between rounds.

The first day had 16 rounds…that is 16 times groups of young men came to the house and visited with the actives. There were over 1,200 rushing, so quite a few were in each group. We had iced down waters for the rushers. Opening day was blistering hot. I felt so sorry for all of those boys having to walk from house to house in the heat. By the end of the night, both actives and rushers were worn slap out from chatting it up with everyone.

It was a fun experience that first day to see all of the actives initiating conversations with complete strangers. Some of the shyest boys in the house were completely different in that type of environment. As a Momma, you always hope you have raised your children to not be wall flowers…to stand up and out. Watching Grady interact with everyone, I knew then he was no wall flower.

We all watched the sorority bid day on the computer. It was intense and insane. I wondered if that was how the boys would handle theirs, too. Thankfully, it was different… way different. Our actives waited at the house for their new brothers to arrive. When they did, there were high fives, side hugs and shouts all around!

The actives in the house are each just amazing young men. Having moved Grady into the house and being around them for a bit, I feel like they are all my own. It is quite like ours growing up in Holly Springs ~ you find yourself treating your children’s friends as yours. It is a beautiful thing to feel when your children are in college.

It was wonderful being able to participate in the whole rush experience with Grady. I can say the Mississippi Gamma chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon added 52 new brothers into their fold. Our boys worked so hard all summer long vetting potential new members and especially during rush week getting to know the ones coming through.

A big thank you to John Barton, Chip Morgan and Thad Mueller for their guidance and support of these fine young men. There can never be enough thanks for Miss Anne Kossman, their house mother. She is the glue that binds the entire group together.

(To put your news in City Personals, please e-mail maryclayb@yahoo.com; or call The South Reporter, 25-4261.)