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<p>I simply didn’t see it as any different from how we would all have “judged” one another if it had occurred naturally, through dorm meetings and classes and parties and campus events. The situation of setting up the parties and having it be “disciplined” (30 minutes here, move on, 30 minutes here, move on) isn’t natural, but the actual content of the conversations simply weren’t any different from conversations that would have organically occurred in between classes, at campus-wide events, in the cafeteria, etc. “Hi, nice to meet you. Where are you from? Oh, cool, you should meet my friend Mary, she’s from Seattle too - maybe you guys have people in common. What are you majoring in? Oh, make sure you take a class with Prof X! He’s the best. Have you had a chance to check out the such-and-such on campus or in town?”</p>
<p>Which is why I don’t get all the “superficial” nonsense. You’d have a point if the rushees were being made to parade on stage like a Miss America pageant in bathing suits and evening wear. But the conversations are pretty much identical to organic conversations that arise in dorms, cafeterias, etc. They just occur in a structured space and time.</p>