Never have I had a week as exhausting as this one. Homecoming week has been one to remember because every night contained something that made me feel ever more stressed. Monday, we constructed the Beta float and continued Chapel Sing practice. Every night I found myself going to bed around two a.m. and waking up around eight a.m. This carried on into Wednesday when we began to work on our banner for the float and our chant for the bon fire on Friday. Wednesday night was the most interesting night of our week because we exercised a few Beta Theta Pi traditions. That night instead of having Chapel Sing practice, as usual, my pledge brothers and I went to the Chapel steps with pajamas, sleeping bags and hot chocolate. Guarding the Chapel steps the night before Chapel Sing is a major Beta tradition due to the facts that not only was the Chapel designed by a Beta, most of the buildings on the Mall were named after Betas, and the song “Old Wabash” was written by a Beta. We only got a few hours of sleep before getting up at 6:30 a.m. to start singing “Old Wabash” as the first person crossed the Mall to mark the start of Chapel Sing. We took turns going back to the Beta house to change, but we still kept singing until Chapel sing started at eleven a.m. In all honesty, Chapel Sing was easier than the practices we had in the Beta basement. The outcome was not all that bad. First place was given to my good friends at Theta Delta Chi. We received fifth place only because, since we are the guardians of the College Chapel, fifth is the best we can do.

This weekend is going to be bittersweet for me. The good side is that there will be a huge party at the Beta house on Saturday because of Homecoming, and many of my pledge brothers’ parents are coming. The bad part is that there is so much reading looming over my head for next week that I am concerned I will not find the time. However, I can always finish it on Sunday night!