Delta Zeta sorority to compete without its partner fraternity

Tina Fey, Ninja Turtles and ’N Sync graced the IU Auditorium with their presence Wednesday as students took the stage to practice for IU Sing’s 78th production, “POP: All that was Pop, All that is Pop, All that will Pop.”

Sororities and fraternities have been paired for months, skits have been written since October and practice has occurred several hours a week since mid-January.

But three weeks ago, Delta Zeta sorority lost its partner because the fraternity is on probation.

Song leaders, with the help of older members of the house, paired together and rewrote the entire program. Replacing “Harry Potter” with “Mean Girls,” their practice Wednesday night yielded one of the biggest, most optimistic responses of the evening.

“We thought ‘well, what’s a good pop thing that has to do with all girls?’” sophomore song leader Kira Johnson said. “And we came up with ‘Mean Girls’ because it’s standard and everybody knows what that is. Since we only have girls, we’re going to try to make it as funny as it can be.”

Each skit has four song leaders who select material, write songs and choreograph, but
Delta Zeta has two.

“The main part was motivating the girls since they didn’t have a pair,” Johnson said. “What was the point, you know? But people do it. Everybody got really close.”

The entire house offered help and support. As is typical, the newest pledge class is to
perform the skit, so the older sisters offered support behind the scenes, whether assisting in script writing or motivating the performers.  

“This is not meant to be an event that only freshmen do,” said IU Student Foundation Steering Committee member and senior Vanessa Pinna. “But, unfortunately, by
interesting patterns it seems to be something only freshmen do. Greek houses make the younger members do it as a bonding

experience. So it’s really neat when we have organizations with full classes of participants.”

Freshman Molly Kortz said she felt support throughout practices with Delta Zeta.
Having a lead role in the skit, Kortz said it was stressful but everyone pulled together.

“It’s been a good fit,” she said. “I thought I’d be more nervous than I was, but I’m excited. All our girls have worked really hard.”

And so Delta Zeta will perform the skit Friday night.  

“Their act is honestly much stronger without the men,” Pinna said.