WE- Ryann Kroske

Fun, Fun, Fun 'till Wofford takes the Weekend Away...

Can I please just say there is NEVER a dull moment at Wofford College?

Whether I'm busy with schoolwork, attending a function, or just hanging out with my friends, I never cease to have a great time at Wofford. I am busy, but I guess I can only blame it on myself, right? With the upcoming Thanksgiving break also comes extensive amounts of papers and exams, but I'm powering through it. The hard work you have to put in at Wofford is so worth it, because weekends and the overall atmosphere of Wofford is just so great.

Thursday night I was invited to the Kappa Delta Crush Party, and the theme was "Never Grow Up". I saw everything from Phil and Lil from the Rugrats to Piglet and Pooh to Peter Pan. My friend Becca and I decided to dress up like the Powerpuff Girls (A personal favorite of mine in elementary school), and I have to say, our costumes were pretty legit. Friday night was also eventful. My best friend from home came to visit, and two of the fraternities put on fun parties at their houses. Pike had a techno party, but SAE had a pretty amazing set up for their "Swampwater" party. For this party, everyone dressed in camo and the SAE house was covered... yes, COVERED inside and out, with kudzu. It was awesome. With Saturday came the football game against Samford and my ZTA pledge retreat which was a fun bonding time with my girlfriends. Sunday I got initiated and am officially a sister of Zeta Tau Alpha, which is pretty neat.

Also on Saturday was Wofford Scholars Day. I wasn't available to help, but if you were there, I hope your interviews went well and you enjoyed the campus. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather, and though we didn't win the game, that crisp fall weather always gets me excited for football season.

Registration for classes for next semester is Thursday, so I'm crossing my fingers it will go well. I'm slightly sickly at the moment and almost overslept for class this morning, so I'm hoping it won't happen on Thursday morning, when I have to register at 7:30 am!

PS- With all this craziness and schoolwork, I have found myself constantly on the computer. I have to have music playing while I do my work, so I am on Pandora every single day. For those of you who don't know what Pandora is... you're missing out. Basically you can listen to all your favorite songs (and new ones you'll probably love) free and without commercials for the most part! It's one of the only things that gets me through the day, haha!

Bubbles and Buttercup, ready for action!

Some of my best friends at SAE's Swampwater!!

Best friends reunited, and Natalie is a Terrier for the weekend!

Zeta lovin' in the mountains!

Song of the Blog:
"Syndicate" --The Fray

Jump then Fall

To all my loyal blog-readers: (If you even exist, haha!)

Last week came upon me with two papers due and a psychology exam. Thankfully, including this week, I have only roughly 2 weeks until Thanksgiving break, yay! But with that being said, I have to get through two exams this week and three papers the next week... yikes. That was a brief session of myself making excuses for being such a horrible entertainer this past week (and potentially these next two...)

Anyway, because of my busy schedule, I figured that a weekend to unwind and relax was most certainly in order. It was odd because most of the campus evacuated this weekend (odd because Wofford is not a suitcase college, everyone loooooves to stick around over the weekend!) because the fraternities of SAE and Pike had their "Fall House" retreats that many of my friends went to. Also, the Terriers played the Citadel in Chucktown so lots of people went down for the game, myself included. If you want to get technical, I didn't go down for the game, but to invest my $25 I would have been charged for a ticket in the American economy. 

I went to Charleston with a senior friend and her two roommates. We had a great time eating out, shopping, making new feline friends (see pictures) and just relaxing back at the condo. The weather was absolutely amazing in Charleston, and I regularly got updates from my friends at the game tracking Wofford's progress in the football game... WE WON!! Hopefully that is good news for our rival game against Furman, since they lost to Citadel!

My econ exam tomorrow is freaking me out, so I'm going to get some studying in before lunch. I'll write later this week, because I have lots of fun coming up this weekend with a KD Crush Party Thursday, my best friends from back home visiting Friday, and a ZTA retreat and initiation Saturday and Sunday!

 
 Beautiful Charleston!!

Allyson and our new friend, dubbed "Tater Tot"... whoops, there he goes!

What a fabulous girl's bonding weekend! :)

Song of the Blog:

"Jump then Fall" --Taylor Swift

Welcome to the Family!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my dear friend, Tony Ream. Tony is the new addition to the Wofford Freshman Bloggers family, and he will be a great blogger.

Tony and I met the summer before senior year at this Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) camp sponsored by Milliken held at Wofford (Juniors, this is a great opportunity to meet new friends, gain leadership skills, learn more about Wofford, and even possibly get a scholarship to Wofford!). Please take a look of this fabulous then-now photo comparison I have for you all.

 

Okay, okay. We haven't changed toooooo much, but still. Blast from the past for ya. The first picture was taken one of the last evenings of SLI, and the second was taken the other night at the WAC Halloween party at The Village. I am dressed as a Native American (because I am politically correct... no Indians here), and Tony is sporting his frat-tastic duds. The Wofford Activities Council (WAC) puts on fun events for the student body, like parties, trivia nights, concerts, etc. 

This weekend was parent's weekend, but Friday I went home to Greenville (only about 25 minutes away) to go to my high school's Spirit Week game. Spirit Week is a huge deal at my high school, and since I was so involved in student government it's still important to me. Last year, my senior year, we broke a record raising almost a quarter of a million dollars for our selected charity. This year, I am so proud to say that my school raised $138,820.10 for Cystic Fibrosis research! I went back with some fellow Class of '09ers to present a check for them for $4,200! It was good to be back and see old friends, too. I do miss aspects of high school, but going back also made me realize how much I love life here at Wofford!

Here's a recap of my past week or two in pictures:

Happy 19th Lea Elizabeth!

 
Just a little Zeta lovin'!

 
Just to be clear, Valerie is not yawning, she is, how you say, "pow-wow"-ing.

With some fellow Eastside alumni at the pep rally back home!

(Check Tony's blog for more pics from the Halloween party!!)

--Ryann

PS- Happy Halloween!!!

Song of the Blog:

"Thriller" --MJ (A Halloween classic!)

Halloween Goes Pink!

"Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed".

--Elle Woods

Now, I'm not one to regularly quote Legally Blonde, but this quote was the inspiration for ZTA's Halloween Goes Pink week that we are in the midst of! After returning from fall break Sunday evening, some Zetas gathered after nightfall to "pink out" the campus. We tied pink ribbons on trees and lightposts, put up posters, and wrote on sidewalk chalk all around campus. 

Zeta Tau Alpha's national philanthropy is breast cancer awareness, so our main goal this week is to raise funds to contribute towards breast cancer research. We are encouraging students to wear pink this week to raise awareness, and the Parent's Weekend football game this weekend is an official "Pink Out"! Tomorrow we are having a special dinner on the lawn with a band and a yogurt eating contest for guys, as all Yoplait will donate 10 cents to the Susan Komen Foundation for every lid returned. 

Sadly, sometimes it's hard to enjoy all the fun events with lots of homework hanging over your head. I have a psychology lab report and a humanities paper due Wednesday (and I have to work the dinner Tuesday... eeek!) It's okay though, I can handle it. I did get an e-mail this evening while working on my paper that my 8 a.m econ class was cancelled for tomorrow... I almost jumped for joy in my big comfy chair in Milliken. That makes my extremely busy day slightly better. Extra sleep is always appreciated. I have learned to value my hours sleeping more now that I'm at Wofford- it's easy to just not go to bed at a decent time any given night. I try to get in bed at a decent hour during the week, but I've learned that even during the weekend you need to get sleep... I've been drained recently, I think it's because my schedule is all thrown off! I, sadly, have yet to master the art of napping. Quite unfortunate. 

I'm going to apologize for not being a loyal blogger lately, but I promise I will try to write more despite my busy schedule! :)

--Ryann

Song of the Blog:
"Viva La Vida (Thin White Duke Remix)"-- Coldplay

Another Wonderful Wofford Weekend!

Please excuse my extensive use of consonance in my title. It was a great weekend, overall though. So much happened, so I will limit my explanation and pictures as much as possible!

Thursday, we had our first ZTA date function- 80's bowling! It was so much fun getting dressed up and seeing everyone in their costumes, out of their Wofford element, ya know? I had fun with my friends and also got to meet some new people my friends brought as dates.

Friday I hung out after class and watched movies with a friend and cleaned my room up for Fall Hospitality Day (more explanation in the next paragraph!) The SAE pledges were having a toga party, so my friends and I decided to support them and go there. It was fun, but it was so cold and rainy outside (yes... still.) We also went to go visit our friends at the Pike house and had a fabulous time just being silly and dancing around outside in the rain! Needless to say, a warm shower was much appreciated before bed.

Saturday was the big game versus App State! Some of you may have come out to the Wofford Fall Hospitality day... I'm glad you did! I'm sorry the weather wasn't ideal, I promise you the Wofford has an amazing campus that is gorgeous! You most likely shuffled through my room if you came, (Greene 231!) so I hope my room was up to your standards! Anyways, it was cold and wet outside so tailgating was fun to a point, but then became slightly miserable. I sadly didn't get to stay for the game (which was pretty close, we only lost by 10 points, pretty impressive against a school the size of App State!) because I had to head to Atlanta that night. My boyfriend and I went to the Family Force 5 concert at CenterStage in Atlanta. It was also bad weather there, but the concert was crazy and we had a great time! Look them up, their music is pretty catchy. They also had a band called Cash Cash that was one of their openers who I really enjoyed and am looking into more. 

Sunday, as usual was a catch up day, so nothing too eventful. I'm looking forward to Fall Break this weekend (we only get Friday off, but hey, better than nothing!) so I'm excited to come home for an extended amount of time and hang out at home with my family and dogs and just relax!

Once I get my act together and clean up my room, I'll post some pictures of my dorm and its set up, I know that before I came I was interested in how the rooms looked, so I figure some of you girls can appreciate it. 

Hope everyone has a great week! Happy Monday!

--Ryann

 
With Mary Katherine and Emily looking fabulous in our 80s wear!

 
One of my favorite parts of Wofford.. dancing with my best friends at the Row! (even if it is gross outside!)

with two lovely Wofford cheerleaders before the App State game, Becca and Mackenzie!

FF5 in ATL!

Song of the Blog:

"Ghostride the Whip" --Family Force Five

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Sadly, these past few days I feel like I am eternally sopping wet, or have goosebumps all over my body. For at least the past three days I have experienced the following:

a) having the bottom of my jeans soaked (a pet peeve of mine), which in turn leads to...
b) water getting into my shoes and getting my socks wet.
c) walking around campus with my ratty Mountain Hardwear jacket I wore wayyy too much last year, looking like a neglected black sheep
d) not getting up early enough for class (due to the lack of sunshine and desire to stay in my warm bed), thus "bumming it" (my term for not putting much effort into getting ready) for class most days.
e) a broken umbrella (always awkward and embarassing)

Good times, good times. Weather isn't always this bad in Spartanburg, but for some reason this week it has been particularly yucky and I'm not loving the lush foliage of Wofford as I used to. It's not enjoyable to get rained on by the 10237293 trees in our aboretum (okay, slight exaggeration), even when it's not raining, and race through the grassy areas on campus when cutting it close for class. 

I have come to the conclusion that this week Spartanburg is comparable to Forks, Washington. (If you know what this referencing... good. But at the same time, I feel like a dork for even publishing this comment on the internet. Haha!) Seriously now, if it's going to be rainy and gross, can I at least have an Edward sighting? 

I want to take this opportunity to let my readers (I know there are at least a few out there!) to know that I want to answer YOUR questions. Comment on the blog with questions or topics you want me to write about. I'm here to write about my life, but I also want to talk about what Wofford has to offer and how things are done here, and I only know what to write about with your help!

That being said, if you read my blog and like it (or dislike it, for that matter!) Let me know! Friend me on Facebook, just let me know that you are a reader when you do so! I want to hear from you. 

I shall give you all an update after this weekend, which should be eventful! I have my first Zeta date function tonight (YAY!), a night of fun with my girls at the Row on Friday, and the big game versus App State Saturday!!

--Ryann

Song of the Blog:

"Replay" --Iyaz (Don't make fun... I swear this song has been eternally stuck in my head for the past week. It is so catchy. 40 plays in 4 days on my iPod... yup.)

A Quintessentially EPIC Weekend

Let me first apologize to you all for not posting in over a week! I had midterms this week and was absolutely swamped. Basically the only social contact I had was at meals. I'm thinking it was worth it though, because I feel pretty confident on how I did, even though the days leading up the the exams were killer.

Nothing exciting really happened this week.... until Friday.

Friday was that glorious day known as Boy's Bid Day at Wofford College. Sororities, fraternities, and independents alike all come out for the spectacle that happens only once a year. Each fraternity is decked out in a certain style of clothing (for example, jumpsuits or redneck outfits) and each pledge class of every sorority dresses up according to a certain theme.

My ZTA pledge class dressed up as superheros. I really wanted to dress up like Quail Man from the TV show "Doug", but the components of the costume at WalMart ended up being way more expensive than the simple SuperWoman costume I got.

 Let me explain to you how Bid Day at Wofford goes down. The boys who are rushing get sent to a building and have to wait until 5 pm to get out to the Row (Wofford's frat houses) where they can start the bid day festivities. Meanwhile everyone else is at the Row socializing, visiting different houses, dancing, etc. etc. The new boys are filed into a tent and run out one by one to the fraternity that has chosen them. It's absolute madness, with the loud music, cheering, and chants from the fraternities. After all have gotten their bids, chaos insues. Whether you want to be or not, you will most likely be thrown into one of the mudpits. After that, most sprint across campus to the fountain and hop on in. Boy's Bid Day is something to be experienced. It is so much fun and great bonding time with your friends!

Afterwards we all showered and ate, and some took naps, but many went back out to listen to the bands at the houses and help celebrate the great new guys each fraternity got. I had a great time hanging out with old friends and meeting new people this weekend. It's the motto at Wofford: Work hard, play hard!

--Ryann

 
 It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... college girls ??

with sweet Sallie, Zeta love!

 
 Parker is a SAE!

 
True Life: I met my twin in college.

 With Becca and Alex after some hardcore mud pit action!

Song of the Blog:
"Where Did I Go" -Holiday Parade (their newest album is amazing, check it out!)

Go Blue, Go Grey, Go Z-T-A!

RUSH IS OVER!

Don't get me wrong, it was so much fun and I met so many great girls from all four sororities (I swear I had 40 friend requests on Facebook after Bid Day!), but I'm so glad to be settled in and able to visit and talk with upperclassmen and really get into a groove here at Wofford.

If you couldn't tell by my cheesy title, I am now an (almost) member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority here at Wofford! I hard a hard time deciding, but I really found some great girls I can't wait to spend the rest of my time at Wofford with! We have an awesome pledge class and some amazing upperclassmen that have been so great and welcoming to us!

I'll put some pictures, but first let me tell you about the stress and anticipation involved in Bid Day. All the girls rushing wait in a big room in the Anna Todd Wofford building. Each sorority, clad in matching t-shirts, cheering, and holding signs, stand outside the doors to welcome their new recruits. Before the doors open you are given your invite and can either accept or decline. Once you accept, the doors are thrown open and you run to your sorority, and they run to you. There is so much screaming and hugging, I love it! I'm sure from the outside it looks kind of crazy and odd, but it's so fun for all involved! Enjoy my pictures!

 

Pre-Bid Day anticipation!

 

Alex and Jennings are my sisters now! :)

 

Bid Day madness!

 

My fabulous pledge class throwing up the crown!

ZLAM! 

--Ryann

Song of the Blog:

"Zeta Tau Alpha" --DJ Scrilla  (Yes, ZTA has their own rap song. That is awesome.)

Sorority Rush

Hi all-

I feel like it's been a long time since I've written, so much has happened so fast and I'm busier than ever.  I have a spanish exam, along with a humanities paper and psychology lab report due on Wednesday which I'm trying to juggle on top of rush weekend. Needless to say, things have been crazy and late nights and a flawed facial epidermis have fallen upon me. 

For those of you who don't know, Wofford is known for their great Greek Life programs. In fact, we are top in the Princeton Review's list for schools with the best Greek programs. A combination of philanthropy, sisterhood/brotherhood, academic excellence, and fun are what define our fraternities and sororities. I don't know much about the rush process for guys, but my rush has been one big rollercoaster ride. Wofford has four awesome sororities- Delta Delta Delta, Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Delta. The formal rush process is only a weekend, but the weeks leading up to it are also important. Freshman rushees are limited in their contact with Greek sisters. So here's the rundown on how it goes- there are multiple parties, each with a different purpose to help the rushees and the Greek sisters determine who belongs where. All rushees are divided into Gamma Chi groups of about 10 or so girls, led by a Gamma Chi leader who is a sorority sister and has separated herself from her sisters until the rush process.... I can't wait to see what sorority my leader Jessica is in! Anyway, here's the lowdown:

Open House- this is a casual party where everyone goes to all the sororities. This is a week before "formal rush" starts and is mainly held to get girls comfortable with the whole process.

Philanthropy Night- Once again, all girls go to all four sororities. Greek sisters greet rushees and socialize with them, introducing them around. Snacks are served as videos are shown, skits are done, and personal statements are made to introduce rushees to their sorority's philanthropy. After this party, rushees must rank their top three sororities they desire to go back to the next night.

Theme Night- Before this, rushees receive "invitations" to go back to certain sororities, up to three. Tonight is slightly more formal, and rushees wear sundresses and watch the sororities put on skits and do dances. Their goal is to let you know why you should choose them, show the rushees how much fun sisterhood is, and really get to know as many sisters as possible. After this night you must choose two sororities to go back to for the next night.

Preference Night- This is the most formal (and stressful) night of rush. Rushees can be invited to up to two parties. These parties are ceremonial for the most part and at this point, sisters want to know what you're thinking, and if you are considering their sorority as your top choice. After this, you rank your #1 and #2 sororities... and then you have to wait until Bid Day!

Tonight is Preference Night, so I don't really know what to expect, and I'm both excited and nervous. I know I will have a great time, and I'm so excited to see where I end up tomorrow evening at Bid Day! I will keep you updated as much as I can. If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me or comment on my posts!

While I'm thinking about it, here are some random pictures from rush thusfar:

Me with Valerie on Philanthropy Night!

Alex and Lindsay, my buddies from my Gamma Chi group!

Our signature pose, so sassy and classy. Don't ask. hahahahahaha

--Ryann

Song of the Blog-

"Party in the USA" - Miley Cyrus

(I am NOT a Miley fan, but daaaaaang that song is catchy!)

BLACKOUT!

So, I'm sitting here in Milliken building with probably half the students at Wofford... it's as if our world is coming to an end! The power is out in the freshman dorms Marsh and Greene... perfect setting for the cliche college raves... haha.

Anyways, I was in Milliken when I got a text from my friend Lea asking if our power was out on the 2nd floor... I had no idea. Then a steady stream of people continuously came into Milliken and there are now people at every table, couch, and chair, and even people cozied up with blankets on the floor. We received texts and emails from the Wofford Emergency Message Alert system saying that the power was out and work was now being done, the Milliken and Olin buildings have power. 

I plan to camp out here for a while and get a good leg up on my homework and assignments, it's only a little past 9 so I've got a while before I'm ready to hit the sack... in my pitch black room. These pictures don't really serve it justice... and plus I didn't want to walk around taking pictures like a creeper, but trust me, this is such a hilarious experience, I had to share with you all!

Mass exodus to Milliken Science Center!

While we're talking about humorous occurrence in Milliken, this is what my friends and I do in a "study room"...

Here at Wofford we love black and gold... but mostly black.

--Ryann

Song of the Blog:

"Spotlight" -Mutemath (sorry... I had to.)