Girl with the Arrow

Interviews with Kianu Alumnae from the 1980s (August 2007)

• What is your favorite memory as a Kianu (alum or active)?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: My favorite memory was living in the Kianu house. I hadn't been a sister for very long and I was able to get into the house as a senior. I was House Manager -- which had its ups and downs. It was really nice living with the other girls and being a part of a tight knit group. That year the Kianus started paying our food money to the Stags and being able to eat at their house instead of going to the dining hall. That brought a closer relationship with the two Greeks.
  
  

  Barb Huffman

  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I think my first favorite memory was when I was open rushed the spring of my sophomore year (1985). I don't remember many of the details, but I think it was just me and another Barb that were open rushed. I don't remember much about my days as a pledge. I also had a lot of fun with the new girls my senior year.
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: I would rather not go into too many details as it may encourage other bad behavior. Next time you see me (all of you reading this) just ask me about it. I think you will get a chuckle out of it!! Other than that I really enjoyed the parties and especially had fun at the Spring Formal up at Atwood my senior year. All weekend up in the cabins. A great memorable time!
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: Walking up the hill on pledge day getting shirted by my dear friend Brenda Bunting. I'll never forget how excited all the actives were when we showed up. I have never felt more like I belonged, ever in my life, than at that moment. Still feel it today- 21 years later.
  
  
  
  Pledge Day 1988
  
  
• Who is in your Kianu family?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: Carol Pitts was my fill-in big sis. I was a fall pledge of my junior year and for some reason, I did not have a "true" big sis assigned to me.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: My Big Sis was Marysia Droba (click here for family tree with picture). She was a senior when I was a sophomore. She thought I should pick someone who would be around at least one more year, but I thought she was pretty cool, so I picked her.
  
  
• In 1983 the local club Phi Kappa Pi became a colony of the Sigma Sigma Sigma national sorority, but died out a few years later. A Theta Phi Alpha colony came to campus in 1987. Do you have any memories about either one of those organizations?
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I don't recall Theta Phi Alpha, although it seems that I do remember a new club coming to campus but I'm not sure if I knew that while still at Muskingum or if I was told about it later.
  
  I remember that the 3 most basic stereotypes back then about the girls clubs were that Kianus were the "pretty" ones, Deltas were the "partiers", and that F.A.D.s were the "jocks". All three clubs had all three elements within them, for sure, so I find it humorous that those were the prevailing thoughts at the times… at least with some people. I remember being out one summer night with a girlfriend and running into a guy who had recently graduated from Muskingum. (I was either on the way to being a junior or senior.) He asked me if I was in a club and upon hearing that I was a Kianu, he made some smart-ass remark about how Kianus "live in beautiful houses but there aren't any lights on". He was a very cute/funny guy and I couldn't resist asking him what his GPA had been and pointing out that mine was a 3.9. I don't recall him having much to further say about the subject. :o)
  
  

  Becky Sampson

  Becky Sampson ’88: The Tri-Sigs were only around my freshman year. They were a dying local that thought that perhaps going national could save them. Needless to say, it did not. I think it was my sophomore year a national came to campus and chalked the quad one night. To say that we were all concerned would be a huge understatement. We had a meeting with the other girls clubs and Student Life in which Dean Skeen was very upfront about the future of the Social Clubs at Muskingum. We expressed our concerns with our stereotypes regarding national sororities (most of which I think were right on the money regarding the emphasis that most place on money, background, and parent positions in the world) as well as what we thought could happen to the locals. Dean Skeen laid it on the line that if the F.A.D.s faded the way that the now gone Tri Sigs went, they would take away the Delta and Kianu charters. They would NOT allow it to become a two club campus. The Theta Phi Alphas were a sort of compromise. The Theta Phi national had an interest in expanding and we (the clubs on campus) were not going to fight that like we planned on fighting a more established and recognized national sorority. It boiled down to the fact that both the Deltas and Kianus had a vested interest in the Thetas succeeding as the F.A.D.s were dwindling fast. We were a bit skeptical as to how the College was going to help them get started as they had no alumna to help them with direction or cash.
  
  

  Betsy Coyle

  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: My Junior year (1987-88) the Theta Phis came to campus. I played soccer and there were quite a few girls from our team who were instrumental in starting the sorority. They were originally thought of as girls who did not fit in to any of the existing clubs. Also- they were not allowed to say no to anyone who wanted to join so it was thought that they would get "everyone the other clubs rejected-" HOWEVER- that really was not the case. The girls I knew would have been great Kianus but chose not to rush. When the opportunity to start something new came, I think it just fit for a lot of the girls. Jeannie Reilly was my dear friend and she was their first president.

• How did the introduction of national organizations affect the established locals? Was there talk about Kianu going national?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: I don't remember ever hearing about Kianu going national. I remember the sororities being so geared to what they were that the talk of a national sorority coming on campus was that it wouldn't work.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I don't recall any talk in regards to Kianu going national. I don't think it really mattered at Muskingum if the clubs were local or national; it was such a close community overall and people didn't seem to exclude others just because they were/weren't in a club. I do think there might have been some "anti-club" sentiment by some individuals, but only in the sense of some people possibly perceiving that club members felt they were better than others or maybe some resentment/hurt feelings resulting from not being picked by a particular club and such. I do think there was a pretty strong "independent" feeling among certain groups of people. (I had considered myself to be a rather firm independent and had to resolve those conflicting feelings of being a sellout but also wanting to be a part of Kianu, which is the only group I would have considered joining.)
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: There was fear from some of us that we might have to go national depending on who came to campus. We had no urge to do that but were thinking more defensively at that point. It all depended on what national came to Muskingum. No serious talk of going national occurred until the mid ‘90s. As some of you remember, at that point, there was some other turmoil going on as well regarding the College wanting us to move to Patton. Our alum organization was in disarray to say the least. Without going into lengthy details, a few of us pulled it together and began to become a better functioning group.
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: How did the introduction of national organizations affect the established locals? Not at all. Was there talk about Kianu going national? Never any mention of it. I would fight it tooth and nail if it ever came up to discussion. The best part about being a Kianu is that we can keep our integrity since we are only at MC. Each sorority at the National level is different at each school. yuck.
  
  
  The Spring 1987 Pledge Class entertains everyone at the Pledge Party
  
  
  
  Club shot from 1989 with new actives in their pledge sweatshirts along with the rest of the sisters
  
  
• Did you pledge in the fall or spring? Muskingum no longer has two pledge periods a year. Do you think it was better to have fall and spring classes, or the way it is now?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: I pledged in the fall. My pledge class was small. It was much more of a big deal to pledge in the spring. I'd go with just one pledge class in the spring.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I pledged in the spring. I'm not sure how I feel about that one. It's probably a more efficient process with having just one pledge period.
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: I pledged spring of my freshman year. Dr. Skeen and Student Life ended fall pledging my senior year ( I think) as they said it caused too much disruption on campus. We made the most of it! We had fought the previous year to prevent that from happening. I think that had they simply monitored the men’s clubs a little closer, the supposed disruption would have been minimized. My personal belief is that the entire Greek system benefited from having both fall and spring pledging. The fall pledges had to have already completed a full semester at Muskingum. Those who pledged in the fall knew what they wanted to do. They were unable or unwilling to go through Rush in the spring due to the potential conflict with certain sports, GPA issues, lack of knowledge about the clubs, not getting in where they wanted to the prior semester, or uncertainty of what they wanted to do. The fall pledging showed the incoming freshmen what Rush, Pledging, and Greek Life were about from a lot of different angles. They saw what was expected and were more prepared for the spring, better able to make decisions. The fall pledging also helped to keep people on campus year round which helped the entire college experience.
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: I pledged in the spring. Everyone had to be at the campus for one full semester before they were allowed to pledge, therefore spring was the busiest time. The fall pledge classes were usually small- 6 or so pledges. It was usually transfers or people who did not make the grades first time around freshman year. They should definitely bring back fall pledging.
  
  
  Pledge Day Spring 1987: Cathy Mitchell, Michele Mountcastle, Brenda Bunting, Kathy Ferda, Leslie Ott
  
  
• What rules were imposed on girls who lived in the house?
  
  

  Carrie Staples

  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: In the house, doors were locked at midnight. I think we had to have noise levels down by 1am. Everyone had to help keep the house clean. Sunday mornings were the worst because the kitchen would be a mess --- pans from making macaroni and cheese and popcorn were always filling up the sink.
  
  When I lived in the Kianu house, so did Maria Gay, Kim Kirkbride, Kathy Koepke, Mary Linzey, Kathy McGinnis (my roommate -- we had the fire-escape room), Kristen Mollenauer, Michelle Szymczyk, Susan Ransom, Nancy Skrzypczyk, Ann Marie Shoemaker, Teresa Ritchey. There were a couple others -- I think it was Charla Beaverson and Mary Caldwell but I'm not sure.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I can't recall what the rules were when I lived in the house my senior year. There might have been some sort of official rule about not having guys over, but I'm not sure about that; Kianu was officially "off campus". I'm thinking that house rules were decided on at the beginning of each year.
  
  All of the dorms at that time were strictly single gender. The rumor was that Mrs. Montgomery, i.e.: "Mrs. M." had dictated that dorms remain girl/guy only and that some large endowment that was expected to go to Muskingum upon her death was contingent on that rule. Like I said, though, that was just a rumor going around at the time. I'm not sure how long after her death that the dorms finally went co-ed. There may have been an unofficial rule that you couldn't enter the door without knowing how to sit on the floor and play a game of "caps". (Just kidding!)
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: Rules? You must be joking. This was the ‘80s remember! There is a reason that things got tougher. Most of what happened regarding the house (then as now) depended on how tight of a ship the house manager ran. We all had weekly chores but it was like pulling teeth to get some of the things done. Jane Walker [Kianu ’65 and club advisor at that time] had her hands full with everything, that’s for sure! Jane had the patience of Job most of the time.
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: Just to clean up (we each had assigned chores each week) and be respectful of each other. We all got along great!
  
  
  Playing Quarters at the house (1988)
  
  
• Which Kianu sister had the biggest impact on you? Why?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: Nancy Brick. She was my freshman year roommate and she always stayed tried and true to Kianu.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: Gosh...I'm not sure about this one. I'm still very close friends with a few Kianus. In fact, my two best friends overall consist of Muskies... one Kianu, Terri Newsom Bock, and one independent, Bobbi Feutz Hrusovsky. Initially, the Kianu sister that had the biggest impact on me was my big sis. We didn't get to spend much time together and lost contact after she graduated, but at the time I was invited to become a Kianu, I was somewhat lacking in self-confidence and she seemed to be so the opposite... so confident and sure of herself. I liked that in her. I wish we had gotten to know each other better.
  Other Muskies I remain good friends with are Brenda Morris Barbarossa (Kianu) and Charla Beaverson Crawford (Kianu). I also keep in touch with Lisa Sahli Owens (Kianu), Tonya Agin (Independent), Carolyn Taisey (Independent), and Elizabeth Leistler Bruggeman (Kianu). I also have occasional email contact wih Shabbir Jasdanwala (STAG).
  
  By the way, my first Muskie boyfriend was a Sig. The second Muskie I dated was a MACE. The third one was an Ulster. Surprisingly, the sweetest one turned out to be the MACE. :o)
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: That is one of the toughest questions here! As a freshman, the three seniors across the hall: Holly Euton, Amy Moore, and Krissy Oyler! And then they graduated. As a pledge, Kimmy Kirkbride kept me sane! After that, while I was an active, it had to be Carrie Maynard. Carrie helped me get my act together when I was in danger of really doing a few stupid things. Helped me refocus on what my priorities should have been versus what they were. But now, more recent grads like Bethany (Drake), (Tracy) Karr, Chelsey (Fletcher), Megan (Workman), and (Jen) Schultice (Bronner), all keep me connected in different ways to Kianu. They are sisters I met after I graduated who have become the dearest of friends. I doubt if they can understand the value I place in these friendships for so many different reasons. They are all amazing women in many different ways and remind me of what Kianu still means to me, of why I still love being a Kianu, and why I keep coming back.
  
  
  Becky Sampson '88, Bethany Drake '04, Chelsey Fletcher '98
  
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: Too many to count. I was dirty rushed by the Deltas really bad from the day I stepped foot on campus. When they thought they "had me" they ignored me. I looked around me and noticed the people who were my GENUINE friends, who had never mentioned making me join their club, never dirty rushed me, were all Kianus (Kathy Hovis, Sue Ranke, and Brenda Bunting, to name a few). The Deltas were shocked when I went Kianu. I never thought twice about it.
  
  
• What made you want to pledge Kianu?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: Because many of my friends were Kianus and I liked the way Kianus were quite friendly to each other as well as to others in different sororities.
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: I lived in Mem and so I knew so many Kianu actives. I got to see how they all pulled together when Amy [Moore ’84] had a terrible car accident on her way back to campus. The Kianus welcomed my friends and family when they came to campus as well. We went to the Kianu house for my 19th birthday and played caps well into the morning! I had also seen some of the fall Delta activities which did not sit so well with me. I had a great friend from home who was a Delta so I tried to keep an open mind regarding Rush. But I also knew that if I pledged Delta, I would have a very difficult time keeping my scholarship. Those were the only two possible choices for me, Delta or Kianu.
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: So much class, grace and everything good about people were the qualities of all the Kianus.
  
  
  Barb Huffman, Ted Williams, Lisa DePasquale, Tim Cousins, Todd Hickerson, Michele Parrish at Spring Pledge Party 1987
  
  
• When did you decide you wanted to become a Kianu?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: I had wanted to rush during my freshman year but I had a Delta friend as well and that got everything all messed up. Then my junior year roommate was an F.A.D. and she told me to do what I felt in my heart and not worry what anyone else had to say about it. So I pledged in the fall of my junior year.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I think it was because of the Kianus I had met. I enjoyed being around them. It was the only club I would join. I was invited to join another club my freshman year, but declined because it just didn't feel right...it just wasn't a fit. I was actually turned down by Kianu my freshman year. I think when I decided to join was during rush...but, like I said, I didn’t make it in. I didn’t go through rush the semester I was actually asked to join, I was open rushed. I remember being very surprised that I was asked to join. I never did find out who nominated me.
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: I was not sure if I was going to be able to swing it financially until I returned from Christmas break. Once I knew I could afford it, I knew I was going to rush. Was not sure if the Kianus would take me but hoped for the best!
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: I was home on Christmas break, reflecting on the first semester and came to the realization all my friends were Kianus.
  
  
• What activities and parties did the club have while you were at MC?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: We had winter and spring formals, a couple house parties and May trips to the Wagon Wheel!!!
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I believe we had both a spring and fall formal. I remember going to one of the state parks and also down to a river boat in Cincinnati; our group was late and almost missed the boat (see picture below). We also had various parties/ get-togethers at the house.
  
  
  Kevin Jarrett, Nancy Brick, Matt Schoener, Mary Hetrick, Brad, Chip Dietrich, Barb Huffman, and Elizabeth Leistler barely made the boat for the Spring Formal
  
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: I can tell you that we were NOT into service at all. The ‘80s was such a selfish decade on so many fronts and the Kianus were absolutely no better. I remember poor Teri Miller was our service chair and had a terrible time getting anyone to participate in anything. Thankfully the Constitution was changed so that the actives have to participate. As far as parties, we had pledge parties that are now called the Formals, generally in Cambridge or Barnsville. We always had a Christmas party. The Formals we had were much more elaborate as we would go away for the entire weekend, Friday and Saturday nights. We were supposed to alternate going to cabins one year, to a nice hotel the next. Luckily my junior and senior years, we went up to Atwood for both! We also revamped an older party my senior year, the Bent Bow and Arrow. We made it into a giant scavenger hunt with our dates that got grouped into teams before we ended up at the dance. And of course, we had parties with the different guys’ houses.
  
  Head, Suzy, Becky Sampson and Jody at Fall Pledge Party
  
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: Events were the formal in the spring, usually at Atwood Lake; two pledge parties, spring and fall; and the Bent Bow and Arrow party in February at the Party Barn.
  
  
• How many girls were in your pledge class?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: I think my [fall] pledge class had 6-8 of us.
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: Hmm… I think that we started off with 19 on pledge day [although two open rushees joined us: Barb Huffman was one]. All of us made it through to activation. Angie Arnett was our pledge class President. My class had quite a few sophomores and juniors in it which made for strange times. Back then, the campus had a policy called open rush. If a clubs’ pledges and sophomore/junior actives totaled less than 63, the club could place an open bid to any girl who had never been in a club. We added a senior to the class this way as well.
  Let me tell you that the entire Rush process has changed drastically since the ‘80s. Rush was a much longer process then. We did not have Rho Chis who attended the parties. I am not positive about this but I think that the R.A.s and R.D.s attended all of the parties except the final one on Friday night. They stayed in the dorms and did not join us on Pledge Day until after all bids were passed out.
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: We were a large group with 27!
  
  
  Pledge Day 1980
  
  
• What was the relationship between Kianu or Greek life as a whole and MC's administration?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: Our relationship was pretty good with administration. Since we had our own house off the beaten path, everyone kind of left us alone.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I don't recall there being any major conflicts between Kianu and MC administration. MACE reportedly used to do the "MACE Theater" thing, which was felt to be pretty repulsive /lame by many students, but I'm not sure that the administration ever caught wind of it. I think the biggest thing was that the administration expected that the various clubs treat each other with a certain level of respect and to not get too far out of line with their behaviors/treatment toward each other... and toward their own members.
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: I am going to start this off with the following information. Dean Skeen (Student Life) had a daughter who was a Delta, very nice girl. Maz was in Student Life then as well. And we all know that Maz liked the Greeks, particularly the Kianus! Karen Smith, Assistant to Dean Skeen, was a good friend of mine. When I was president, I worked in Student Life as I had for the prior two years. Dean Skeen and I banged heads quite often that year. No surprise, I lost most of those skirmishes but it did not stop me from battling with him. The Student Life secretary had a daughter who was a Delta active. The Campus minister prior to Jerry Beavers was Pete Shidmantle, a former MACE. I think that era was very different as administrators and staff had children who were in the different Greek clubs. All in all, it was not a bad relationship. It was much more a family as our president was the last of the famous Montgomery presidents, less about big outside donors, more about the small alumni donors. That helped some of the groups get away with more, shall we say, questionable behaviors. No surprise here but the guys did all kinds of stuff with little repercussions. Certain clubs who got into trouble would get some alum with influence to deflect part of the punishment. Be it a line up on the wall in front of the frat house, naked pledges running through the streets, or dead swans in the lake, the guys got away with more once that famous alumni showed up with a check or a promise for a great Homecoming theme.
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: OK- Kianus always followed the rules and behaved on campus.
  
  

  Barb Huffman Wildman sent a bunch of great pictures from 1986-87 for this project. Some are on this page, but to see them all, visit the pictures page.

  
  
• Currently, during pledging, the pledge sisters wear pledge shirts and pledge pins. Upon activation, girls give back their pledge shirts and pledge pins and are given their activation pin, a gold pin with the letters XAN. How is this different (or the same) from your time at MC?
  
  Carrie (Staples) Bell ‘86: I did have a pledge pin and returned it when I became an active. I do still have my XAN pin.
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: I don't recall having any pledge pins although in some of my pictures the pledges are all lined up wearing pledge shirts (gold t-shirts with the Kianu name and crest).
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: It is the same although I am not sure what the pledge pins look like. The ones we had were rather beaten up back in the ‘80s so I find it hard to believe that they are still around!
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: You kept your pledge shirt. You also received a ring from your big sis at activation. It was silver with the letters XAN on it made by a local jeweler. Interesting note- there were a few "club rings" that were passed down, too. I received a gold ring with the letters XAN on it my freshman year from Senior Nancy Skrzypczyk. It went to a freshman from a senior every four years. I gave it to Heather Vandale when I was a senior and she was a freshman in 1989. Not sure where it went after that.
  
  
  Spring Formal 1986: Elizabeth Leistler, Barb Huffman, Lisa Sahli, Charla Beaverson
  
  
• Do you have Kianu family members?
  
  Barb (Huffman) Wildman ’87: Nope. I was the first person in my family to attend Muskingum and since I have only sons, it looks like I'll have to wait a very long time to see if I might have any granddaughters to follow in my footsteps. :o)
  
  Becky Sampson ’88: No, I am the only member of my family thus far to attend Muskingum. I do have a niece that I will be talking to about Muskie Life over the next several years!
  
  Betsy (Coyle) Borling ’89: Hopefully my 4 year old daughter in 14 years, but other than that, no.
  
  

  We would like to offer a big thank you to the Muskingum College Library, Andrew Whitis, and his student assistant for photocopying 17 Black and Magenta articles from the 1980s and sending them to use for this project. Thanks too to all the participants! Check back next summer for the interview with 1990s graduates.