Spring Runouts were held this semester on Jan. 31 in the Caine Student Center. This is a biannual event that has entertained the Adrian student body for years. However, this year, there was a change to some of the rules of the event. Many of the changes involved the theatrical aspects of runouts, including things such as no confetti, no food or water present in the performance, and a strict policy on props. These changes, while not being very drastic changes, were received by the fraternal community with mixed emotions.
The five fraternity presidents were interviewed on their chapter’s stances on the changes, and two of the five voiced the feeling that the changes hindered their creative liberties. Alpha Tau Omega’s president Matthew Fletcher, expressed that the rules restricted the freedoms they were able to exhibit in previous runouts. The same was said by Tau Kappa Epsilon’s president Connor Whalen, however, Whalen also voiced that the changes forced him and his brothers to become more creative and think further outside the box.
On the flip side, another two felt that the changes were warranted after some of the performances from the past few semesters. Chris Smith, president of the Theta Chi fraternity, said the changes helped to create more of a checks and balances system for the event, noting that some performances have gotten a bit out of hand. Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s president Andres Drab, stated that the changes did not affect how his fraternity went about preparing for runouts. The president of Pi Kappa Alpha, Garrett Leaver expressed the same views, but added that the usage of props allowed Greeks to be more creative with their routines.
Even with these changes in place, each fraternity dedicated an extensive amount of time to planning their performances. The average practice time between the five fraternities was an hour and a half each night of the week before runouts, (some practicing for up to three hours a night and for two weeks) coming to a total of a solid ten and a half hours a week of memorizing quick steps and complex lifts. Because many fraternity brothers are involved in at least one other student organization or sport, the workload is quite demanding. Though, all their efforts do pay off not only while performing, but also in strengthening bonds between brothers.
Chris Smith expressed that he always feels closer to his brothers during practice and while performing because it’s easier to “embarrass” yourself in front of your peers when you have fifteen other guys doing it with you.
Runouts are a beloved tradition that helps to bring the Greek community together as a whole while being an opportunity for the fraternities to introduce their new members in a fun and energetic way.
