Campus Life — Letters from MIT

Rush

By Shin Kuwaki

WILG のメンバーたちが住む家の談話室で

The 18th of September marked the beginning of an exciting time for the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) undergraduate community. Late in the afternoon, students emerged from their dorms and classes to gather in the oval field in front of the student center.

Numerous groups of students surrounded the field. Each group represented a different fraternity, sorority or independent living group (FSILG), each with its own unique character and atmosphere. This was the beginning of Rush, a traditional event at our school when students are given the opportunity to make a decision that will affect the remainder of their college lives.

ダイニングルームで食事をとる WILG の学生たち

During Rush, students spend two weeks strolling around campus trying to find a new place to reside among the numerous FSILGs to which a large portion of the undergraduate population belongs. Each one of these groups is distinct: Not only are they student communities with their own rules and traditions, but they take part in different student organizations, engage in various extracurricular activities, and host their own house events such as parties, socials and volunteer activities.

As soon as Rush begins, freshmen find themselves exposed to an overwhelming number of activities going on simultaneously. Almost every minute of the day is booked for an event, whether it may be a fondue party, a paintball match or a swing dancing social.

Food is not a financial concern during this time, which seems to keep college students happy and engaged in Rush activities. I remember attending a barbeque, a smoothie party, and a lobster and steak dinner all in one day as a freshman.

I decided to Rush for the Women's Independent Living Group (WILG) when I was a sophomore. Their house is located about 10 minutes away from campus, as is the case with many other living groups. Our group is a community of 50 women, composed of undergraduate students and a Residence Advisor, a graduate student who is responsible for assisting undergraduates with any kind of problems they might have.

The majority of things we do by ourselves, such as keeping the house clean, buying food and deciding the daily menu, keeping financial records, organizing events for the house, and even fixing the balcony and repainting the walls when necessary. We eat together, have biweekly meetings to decide and vote on important house issues, form study groups together and comfort each other to alleviate the stress from an environment that can be academically and emotionally overwhelming at times. Many of the FSILGs live in a similar manner, although some fraternities have house cooks, and others live in university dorms and not in separate houses.

Spending two weeks finding a place to live seems somewhat over-the-top. However, it is still an important decision that should be made carefully. It will affect a student's academic, social and extracurricular activities and interests, as well as the people whom the student will look up to and befriend over the next few years in college.

Rush has become such an integral part of our school life that we commemorated it by engraving its four letters in the bezel of our class ring in the hope that it will continue to enrich the lives of future students at the Institute.

Shukan ST: Oct. 11, 2002

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