Another SMU tradition dead?

If you’re a fan of the traditional Sing Song competition, my advice to you is to buy a tape of this year’s performance — you aren’t likely to see anything like it again any time soon.

Now don’t get me wrong, the performances by Gamma Phi Beta and Kappa Alpha Theta sororities were outstanding, but the decision to award the top two spots to groups without fraternity partners may have been the last nail in the coffin for an already struggling tradition.

This year’s Sing Song was lacking from the start in fraternal involvement. Pike, who planned on competing with Theta, their annual partner for the last few years, was held out of the show as part of university sanctions.

Now, I’m in no position to judge the university’s judicial policies, but keeping fraternities out of an innocuous singing and dancing competition sounds like overkill to me.

Combine the university’s attack on fraternities, the general unwillingness of many fraternities to compete and Friday night’s results, and I would venture to say that any given fraternity member is more likely to find himself in Sing-Sing than Sing Song next year.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Gulag that is Sing Song preparation allow me to let you in on a secret: The sororities are obsessed with winning.

From my limited experience as a Sing Song dancer last year, I can tell you that rehearsals must be something like medieval torture chambers. There is crying and screaming (often at octaves that would deafen bats), along with endless repetition meant to turn reticence frat-boys into dance machines.

The backdrop alone can be an arts and crafts project worthy of a pre-Camp Cupcake Martha Stewart. One Gamma Phi told me that she alone spent over 10 man-hours of work on their award-winning scenery.

The first and second place finishes by groups sans guys has opened the eyes of many sororities who now realize that they too can reach the pinnacle of existence that is winning Sing Song without dealing with us guys whose contributions are generally limited to throwing girls, doing pushups or wearing aviator sunglasses.

My prediction is that next year the sororities who really care about winning (all of them) will simply drop their traditional partners and go solo.

I can’t imagine too many guys will care about not participating in Sing Song except to be glad to have those hours of time back, but SMU will sorely miss us when the event deteriorates into one big catfight rather than something all Greeks could get together for, and everyone could enjoy.

And so I leave you with the obligatory call to action — girls, don’t ditch the frat guys. I would rather not see Sing Song go the way of the Boulevard; we can’t afford to lose another great SMU tradition.