A New Beginning

For a large amount of immigrants that come into the United States a goal that he or she hopes to achieve is to become a citizen of this country.
People from over 50 countries worldwide filled the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on Sept. 17, 2008 some waiting to get sworn in as citizens and others serving as their audience.
The process of gaining citizenship can range from an easy journey to a terrible expedition, but for the more than 1,000 men and women who lined the auditorium floor the journey was coming to an end.
Fitted with flags from the United States and from their various native countries people sat in anticipation as patriotic music rang through the auditorium’s speakers.
On the outside a different story was playing out, lines of people stretched onto J street waiting to be let in to the already full auditorium.
Not only were potential citizens lining up in front of the newly renovated building, but so were protesters, political party representatives and street vendors.
There are numerous advantages to gaining citizenship, but on that day the importance of voting became evident for the large group of potential new voters.
Both Republican and Democrats had tables with information pamphlets and voter registration cards set up awaiting the large group of untapped voting prospects.
While some gain their citizenship to vote and lay claim to their portion of our nation’s democracy, others do it for another reason.
For those who have family members in other countries who wish to come to the United States, with the aid of a relative who has his or her citizenship the process of becoming a permanent resident is easier and can go by smoothly.
A silence came upon the crowd as the host announced that the newly sworn in citizens would swear their allegiance to a new country, for some this would be a new experience.
The pledge of allegiance could be heard from the outside as the new citizens proudly displayed their love for their new country.
As people began to file out of the auditorium, tears began to rain across the faces of some, knowing that the long trip toward citizenship was over.
On a day where citizenship was celebrated all over the United States, Sacramento put forth its share of new citizens.

Broomball...Enough Said

Broomball for many is considered a leisure activity, but for the men of Tau Kappa Epsilon it’s a serious matter.
Every semester the one constant rush event held by the fraternity is broomball; it has become popular among not only the active chapter but also by the potential new members.
Broomball is a combination of hockey, soccer and speed skating, but for those who have never played it could feel more like an organized team game of slip and slide.
With the large turnout the chapter has had so far, this semester’s broomball games were between teams of an estimated 15 guys per team.
As rush week progresses active members begin to talk about new techniques and equipment they will display once broomball arrives, yet it’s interesting to see who doesn’t get the memo of wearing sweat pants instead of shorts.
Mark Wells, an active member of TKE, participated in his first ever broomball match this semester and believes it provides for an experience to share with friends.
“Everyone has a story about playing broomball and getting pulled over,” Wells said.
Getting pulled over the rink wall has also become tradition for the men and potential new members of TKE.
With the large turnout this semester, staying away from the outskirts of the rink was particularly crucial.
At every rush event it’s important to get a large amount of actives to show up, but for broomball there is no need to worry about the attendance of the active chapter.
“Broomball is a great way to meet everyone,” Wells said of the event.
For some broomball provides an outlet to be wild and to participate in something that not everyone gets to do, for Marco Salas, a potential new member, it did just that.
“I thought it was sick. It’s something you don’t get to do all the time, and it allows for bonding between the members of the fraternity,” Salas said.
Whether it’s a strictly business game or if it just serves the purpose of being a social event to gather the men of TKE, it’s safe to say broomball is here to stay.

The Hunt for Potentials

The first few weeks of a new semester at Sacramento State can be a bit hectic for students, and adding to the chaos is what is known to many as “Greek Row.”
As students roam from class to class a number of different student organizations immerse themselves in front of the library and union looking for potential new members.
For those in a sorority or a fraternity the start of a new semester means re-uniting with friends and reminiscing about their vacations, but more importantly it means the start of rushing.
The term rush in a nut shell means: the act of attempting to recruit new members so he or she can become part of your organization. For many first time students this can be an intimidating process.
Countless times will a person attempt to stop another individual in order to persuade them to either meet some other members of their group or to come out to a rush event being put on by that organization.
Being able to start up a conversation with a complete stranger while selling your fraternity or sorority at the same time is an art, yet it goes unnoticed by passer bys who turn the other cheek and continue walking passed booths.
Dustin Mora, the rush chair for the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, spends most of his day at or near the booth trying to recruit new members.
"It is really hectic in the sense that I have to add classes, set-up rush events, talk to potential new members and spend a large portion of my day at the booth," Mora said.
Day in and day out members of fraternities and sororities engulf their booths, hoping that the next person that walks by will show interest in their organization. Once the student reaches for a rush flier or pamphlet the “rush process” has commenced.
Recruiting new members can not only build a stronger chapter, but it also guarantees that the traditions put in place by the group can continue on for years to come.
" If you don't have a good rush the chapter can't get the quality of guys we're looking for, which hurts the chapter because we don't improve the strength of the organization," Mora said.
Rushing is a two way street, not only does the organization play an important role, but the person who is showing interest in a certain group has complete power in their hands. Making them the most important piece to the “rush puzzle.”
At times rushing can not only be time consuming, but it can also be difficult Mora said.
"Having active members show up at the booth and talk to perspectives and try to get them to come out to our rush events can be hard," Mora said.
Rush Week can be an interesting time for students at Sac State because one can either be annoyed with all the extra foot traffic that it brings, or one can live it up and visit each booth and potentially make a life changing decision with a simple hello.