Singin' in the quads

In the 95-year history of the Interfraternity Sing, 1922 was a very good year: nearly 30 fraternities and more than 18,000 (no, it’s not a typo) fraternity actives and alumni participated in the Hutchinson Court event—which included awarding Order of the C blankets and emblems to student athletes—hoping to win a trophy for quality of singing or quantity of singers.

The numbers were down at this June’s event, held Saturday night as part of the 2006 Alumni Weekend. Representing seven fraternities and three sororities, about 500 students and alumni took the stage, vying for four trophies: quality, quantity, spirit, and best overall.

In the pre-contest briefing, Sing Coordinating Council members Greg Miarecki, AB’94, JD’97, and Lisa Magnas, AB’88, reminded the judges (the eight-person panel included this writer) that Sing rules emphasize tradition and spirit. Songs like “It was Founded by Our Fathers” (whose chorus runs, “Del-ta Up-si-lon for-ev-er, Del-ta Up-si-lon for-ev-er, Del-ta…”) let alumni join in, swelling both sound and numbers.

Although there’s no dress code, the women of Alpha Omicron Pi, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Delta Gamma all wore variations on the little black dress (emphasis on little) and three-inch heels, while the fraternity men wore variations on suits and ties—some more varied than others. As for the caliber of singing, as President Don M. Randel noted in accepting a pewter mug recognizing his attendance at all six IFSings of his presidency, “Thank God for coeducation.”

Bearing out Randel’s observation, the quality cup went to the women of Delta Gamma, who sang flirty and sweet with equal style and polish. Meanwhile, the women of AO∏, with 64 performers, won the quantity cup; Delta Kappa Epsilon, with a lively rendition of “Son of a DKE” and some vaudeville choreography, won the spirit award; and Phi Gamma Delta—whose men sang without recourse to crib sheets, sang in harmony, and sang the old songs—won best overall.

Same time, next year.

M.R.Y.

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Photos (left to right): The judges' table holds the coveted trophies; the women of Alpha Omicron Pi; the men of Phi Delta Theta.

Photos by Dan Dry

June 5, 2006