OU weekend went as fast as it had come, and many Zetas were feeling
exhausted, yet relieved, that the previous week’s stress had come to a close.
However, it wouldn’t be a true UT school week if we didn’t have seemingly a
million planned events directly after the others ended. That Wednesday, October
14th, was “I Love My Big Night,” an informal gathering to express your love for the special connection to PC 14, a formal bond that takes “zistas” to an elevated
level. Unfortunately, it seemed as though many girls were consumed with
schoolwork or previous obligations that prevented them from attending the event.
That being said, there was still a substantial amount of girls that filed into the
Zeta living room, every little attached to their big.
“I Love My Big Night” creeped up on me. I always knew I would perform
something for my big, but I had no idea that October 14th would come up so fast
(seriously, where has the time gone?). On Monday, Hailey Bailey (PC ‘15) and I
teamed up to form a rap for our bigs, best friends Chelsei Brown and Ali Murray
(PC ‘14). The rhyming dictionary became our best friend that night; we stayed up
so late that Hailey had to look up what rhymed with “blue.” Hailey, literally there
are so many words that come to mind instantaneously that I’m worried about how
delirious we were becoming by 2 AM for you to have to look that up. But that’s
beside the point.
Anyway, as we sat around the living room, surrounded by two
abnormally large sheets of cookie cake (shout out to the Big/Little chairs), we had
the opportunity to spend a little part of our Wednesday with our bigs.
Most littles
stood up, one by one, to say a little about why they love their big. Even though it
wasn’t long, it was admirable to see how much these littles cared for their older
counterparts. Hailey Bailey and I, semi resembling males in our “swag” apparel,
performed our raps for our bigs, stuttering through the words as we laughed too
hard to get some out. I’m not big on public speaking, or in this case, rapping? But
it didn’t matter. Based on the lengths my big is willing to go (did you see her on
big/little reveal?) for me, I have no problem somewhat embarrassing myself for
her.
Some girls gave a gift, whether it be Tiff’s treats, ZTA jewelry, or maybe
both; others teamed up and read a poem, like Alexa Ryder and Chandler Cherry.
When I heard about this event in the past years, I pictured some huge
theatrical production. And that gave me an incredibly large amount of anxiety.
The fact that it was set in the familiar part of our shared home, in casual clothes,
made the whole ceremony more meaningful. No girl felt an immense amount of
stress to impress their big, or compete with anyone else, but rather they just got
a chance to share their experiences or connections with their big.
In
my opinion, the first things that comes to one’s mind and on the spot reflections
are the most accurate and deep. As a little, I loved the opportunity to do
something for my big. We’re used to receiving baskets full of t-shirts and other
Zeta goodies for seemingly no reason, but we often overlook the amount of effort
that went on behind the scenes. Littles, there’s probably a big t-shirt that was in
your bid day basket that tore your big up to give away. Ali, I know that pink shirt
with the flower pocket was hard to part with, and I love you for that! I cannot be
more thankful for my big and all she has/will do for me in the coming years. It has
made the transition into college and Zeta so much smoother, and that’s
something that I’ll forever be grateful for. So, littles, if you didn’t get the chance to
attend this event, or even if you did, be sure to send your big some extra love
today and everyday. You have 72 Zista’s your age, but only one big, so don’t let
her forget how much she means to you.
ZLAM
Taylor Gray, PC '15
October 22, the moment we have all been waiting for: a date
event! Or should I say, a Zeta event.
The concept of a date event is both exciting and scary. Who am I going to ask??
Should I ask a friend? A love interest? A random? All of these questions are
crucial to finding your perfect date. But then there’s always that terrifying
thought -- will they say no? As there
were three other date events that night, the answer to that last question was
definitely true in my case…three times. But eventually everyone found a date
and we were all ready to two-step the night away at the Coupland Dance Hall. 
A little before 9:00, everyone met at the Zastle. The house
was filled with lovely ladies and their handsome lads as they talked and
mingled until the buses arrived. Mama G had a lot of meet and greets to say the
least! After about an hour of dancing through the aisles of the charter buses,
we finally made it to the venue. And it was beautiful. Twinkling lights were
strung across the ceiling, with a huge open dance floor in the center. It was
the perfect place to dance, socialize at the bar and pool tables, eat food, and
hang out. 
