Jessica Blanton: Liminality and Communitas in Pledging (April 23, 2010)

I am in a society called the Pershing Rifles, a coed fraternity here on campus. The pledge process for this fraternity is very unique because of its combination of regular Greek society pledging processes with militaristic aspects. The society originates from Drill and Ceremony companies formed by General John Pershing in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Therefore, the pledging process resembles the psychological transformation and liminal state of basic training. Tonight I will be pledging my first class into the society, so it will be odd being on the opposite side of the psychological warfare. Instead of being the one experiencing the liminal state, pushing past the physical pains and mental stresses, I will be witnessing others going through a transformation I went through myself.
The process lasts all night long, and ends at the Lion’s Gate Bridge at sunrise. The pledges will go through a grueling ruck run for three or so miles and eventually reach the bridge, looking out at the sky changing from black to gray to blue. And, even though it is not a prerequisite to be in the military, all members, once crossed, enter into a communitas relationship with everyone in the society. I have met complete strangers, and once hearing that we are both Pershing Riflemen, we both have an immediate connection as “siblings” in a society.