Boys toting gift-laden wicker baskets and a blanket of sorority chalkings professing love for [insert a girl's name here] across the quad can only mean one thing: Big Sis weeks are here.
Spring 'tis the season when all new sorority pledges are rewarded for their hours of dashing up and down Rugby Road in uncomfortable shoes for rush.
The timing of Big Sis Week varies for each sorority. Some are as early as two weeks before Spring Break, and others have yet to occur. But given that there are 16 sororities at the University, there's a high probability that it will be some lucky girl's Big Sis Week at any given time this spring.
Big Sis Week consists of five days chock full of fun, food and boys showered upon a new pledge, the "little sis," by a temporarily anonymous upperclassman, the "big sis."
One of the most common things a big sis does for her little sis is have messengers deliver baskets of treats, magazines and anything and everything a girl could want with her sorority's letters emblazoned on it. With the forecasts calling for nice weather, many little sisters have been receiving picnic baskets to enjoy outside.
Planning exciting activities for their little sis is another way big sisters show their sisterly love.
The events range from sporty to adventurous. First-year College student Daphne Allen named an activity her big sis planned for her as one of her favorite memories from the week. "We went snow-tubing after the blizzard, which was pretty awesome," she said.
Unfortunately, midterms and papers can impinge upon the fun of big sis week. Big sisters try to plan events that fit with their little sisters' schedules, but this can be a difficult task. Little sis and first-year College student Diana Kaw had a tough schedule that forced her big sis to get creative. "I couldn't go to one of the activities my big sis planned for me because I had a midterm the next day, so she baked me a cake saying 'Good luck' instead," Kaw said.
As much fun as the week is for little sisters, the big sisters are just as excited to give as they were to receive. "As soon as you get initiated you start looking forward to big sister week," third-year College student Shannon Kyle said. The excitement of keeping secrets and watching little sisters enjoy the outcome of the big sisters' hard work makes the week enjoyable for the older women. "You try and spy on your littles all week long -- read their profiles and have people check on them to see how they are enjoying their week," Kyle said.
To keep their identities secret, big sisters often enlist the help of their guy friends in executing their plans. Guys are recruited to take the little sisters to dinner, distribute gifts and even deliver breakfast. "I had a guy come into my room and serve me breakfast in bed," Allen recalled.
That's the life.
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