Confessions of a Former Judsonite

So, basically, here's how it used to go:  You show up on Northland campus as a freshman, and next thing you know, you're learning about these things called societies, and how every non-married student needs to join one.  So, you peruse the list and talk with your roommates, and here was your rundown:
Carey/Carmichael--almost all jocks
Brainerd/Slessor--tough initiations
Spurgeon--the preacher boys and not-actually-preacher girls
Judson--the hicks
Dreisbach--don't really do anything
Champlin--also really don't do anything

And, of course, naturally, every single member of every society wants you to join their society...except for Dreisbach and Champlin, almost all of whom were in their societies due to being last in line.  They were kind of like the Aquaman and Hawkeye societies of Northland.  The ones where you think there might be a purpose here somewhere, but you can't see entirely what it is, so you just kind of go through life accepting their existence because getting rid of them would just make life seem incomplete.

So, anyway, I basically threw Dreisbach and Champlin out the window and narrowed my societies down to Judson and Carmichael:  the hicks or the jock girls.

I only made it to one society rush activity, and it was the Judson one.  I worked during the Carmichael one.  So, my entire experience of being rushed by a society involved running around campus on a scavenger hunt, getting soaked because it was pouring rain.

List of ways to make Katrina miserable #13:  Go out in the rain.

 I HATE GOING OUT IN THE RAIN!  And, oddly enough, I had the best time of my life doing this, and I was promised a future of something about bonfires and camouflage and guys playing Bloodball if I joined.

I was kind of trying to eat my cold ice cream and cookie sandwich after being out in the cold rain, so I didn't retain much.

So then came society rush chapel, and I politely sat through all the candle singing/canoe falling and skits and videos until finally came the Judson one.

The girl officers came out and said, "Hey, we're the Judson girl officers, and we hope you join Judson" and left the stage.

In that moment, I sold my soul to Carmichael.

Then some guys appeared on stage pretending to be vending machines or something like that.  I was too busy laughing to remember.

Then suddenly, a guy crashed through the ceiling, grabbed the donuts, and I died laughing.

Suddenly, I couldn't wait to be directed to the table.  My choice was made.  As soon as they gave us freshmen the "go" I was out of my bleacher, shoving my way to the front of the crowd.  I had to do it.

I had to get my name on that paper.  Something about the promises of duct tape and donuts lured me to have my name be written down on that sheet of paper.

I, the girl who had never shot a gun in her life, who could barely climb a tree without a lot of help, joined Judson.

This:  absolutely out of the question for Katrina.  An oddly enough, Judson could probably have talked me into it.

That first night, I began to question what I was doing here.  I mean, I got through the Keys Partner thing just fine (I was one of those people who ended up with great Keys Partners.)  But then came the "stand on a table and initiate yourself by telling a random fact" part.  Favorite guns?  Four wheeling?  What was this strange language?  I mean, I knew this was the hick society, but...why are the girls doing this to?  Um...I don't have a single strong hick characteristic about me.  Okay, I watch The Red Green Show.  Oh, good, we finally connect on something.

Ooh, bonfire.  This is nice.  Hotdogs and marshmallows and donuts.  I could get used to this.

Foot washing chapel?  What in the world...

BEST CHAPEL EVER!

Soon, it began to absorb me.  Okay, I'll come to the skeet shoot.  Uh...which gauge should I use?  Why do I have to use the bigger number?  So that's what happens when you don't hold it tight in your shoulder...  Okay, not doing that again.

Uh...awesome...a mud pit.  I hate getting messy.  Why am I cheering for this?

Wait, what do you mean because I'm a girl, I'm not allowed to catch the greased pig?  I should SO be allowed to do this too. I AM A JUDSON GIRL!

No, I have absolutely no dancing skills at all.

Of course I'll line dance to introduce the society.

Wait, who banned the line dancing?  That was so much fun.  Now I'm just going to have to stand up there and clap while the guys play some bluegrass song I've never heard of.

I LOVE MY SOCIETY!

"Girls can play Bloodball, as long as they are off campus."

Best sport in the history of ever.  Well, aside from the sprained necks, broken collarbones, and sundry other maladies it's caused.

Hey, let's borrow the Hoffman brothers' truck to go pick up condiments for the flag football tailgate party.

Yeah, and by the way, there's not as much food as there used to be because we had to pay eighty dollars for that broken ceiling tile.

DONUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hm...this Judson thing is quite fun.  Nominate me for vice president.

Or activities' director.  That works too.  And no one else is running?  Perfect.

This will be the best year of society ever!

Thanks to you guys, I got a knife.  I love my knife (which is currently misplaced, which saddens me greatly).

More skeet shooting!!!!

"Do you realize how talented Judson actually is?  I mean, virtually every musical instrument out there can be played by someone in our society.  Plus, look, like almost the entire cast of this play is Judson."

Let's make gigantic Valentine's Day cards for the guy officers.  I'm sure they'll love this.

Wait...they're getting rid of society?  But WHY?  I love my society.

I cried for two days after that announcement.  Society had basically become my life, and I hated to see it go.  Judson had turned a girl who knew next to nothing about life out of the city into someone that actually enjoyed shooting guns and listening to bluegrass and roasting donuts over the fire.

And I therefore now find myself in some odd place of being able to say that in college I was considered both nerd and hick.  Talk about a weird place to be.  Every three weeks, you find yourself screaming and doing hick things and then going to lunch and discussing computers and the problems with plays.

But I guess that just made me a well rounded college student instead of just sitting over at some jock table discussing basketball all day.  Or something like that.