Pledges show appreciation of sorority with toilet paper

Dan Hoffman Arizona Daily Wildcat Wisps of toilet paper blow in front of media arts sophomores Erin Clements (left) and Dana Chester (right) at Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house yesterday afternoon. The house was toilet papered by its pledges Tuesday night as part of a tradition called Walk-Out Weekend.

Early yesterday morning, Kappa's 46 pledges met in a parking lot and carefully orchestrated a strike on the house at 1435 E. Second St.

Armed with 75 rolls of toilet paper and singing showtunes from "Annie," the pledges started to thrash the house shortly after 3 a.m., making a mess the actives said they will not soon forget.

"This is one of the best trashings I've ever seen," said media arts sophomore Erin Clements, who added it was better than her pledge classes' job last year. "They had so much school spirit, they were way out of control."

In addition to the TP job, which might require a utility truck to get the paper out of the 85-foot trees, pledges tore up the inside of the house.

Overturned couches, chairs and tables lay strewn throughout the house and backyard.

"The microwave was in the bushes," said media arts sophomore Dana Chester.

The incident was part of a yearly tradition where the pledges show their appreciation of the actives by leaving presents for them Ü while at the same time trashing the house, said Praecia Costley, a freshman business major, one of the culprits.

The event usually takes place near Walk out Weekend, which is Saturday and Sunday, where the entire house goes on a retreat, but Kappa has a formal tomorrow.

"It would have looked kind of bad if our dates had shown up and the house looked like that," Costley said, adding the element of surprise was crucial to the success of the attack.

Clements said, "I was definitely surprised to be woken up at 3 in the morning to 'The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow'" which was blasting over the house's PA system.

The actives are responsible for cleaning up the mess and spent hours getting the house in order.