Chapter 8: Pledge Kathleen’s Punishment

Lisa was just starting to drift back to sleep when the light in the room was turned on. An ear-piercing whistle from Tracy startled the pledges awake:

“OK, sleeping beauties! Up-up-up!”

The four women struggled to get out of bed and stand at attention.

“Good morning, ma’am!”

“Good morning, Pledges, and a lovely morning it is! We got a lot of stuff going on today, so we might as well hit the ground running! I want these beds made and no evidence left that any of you was in here last night! You got five minutes! Then I want you to dump your bladders, brush your teeth, put your shoes on, and form up in the pledge room!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Obviously Tracy had returned to her normal nasty self. However, a good night’s sleep had put the pledges in a much better mood. At least they were ready to face whatever she was going to throw at them that day.

There were two sinks and one toilet, so the pledges took turns brushing their teeth and peeing. They knew better than to shower, because Tracy had not mentioned anything about showering. Less than 10 minutes after being woken up the women were standing in line.

“OK, today’s upper-body PT day! Everybody upstairs into the pool area! Move out!”

The pledges filed past Tracy, who landed a hard slap on the bare bottom of each as they went by. Lisa led her companions to the back yard, where the members of the sophomore class already were in formation. Like the pledges, the only clothing the sophomores were wearing was athletic shoes and socks. Standing in front of the group was an equally naked Heather. The Sergeant-at-Arms welcomed the four pledges and announced from that point forward they would be exercising with the sophomore class.

Because Tracy was a senior, she left the sophomores to change into the Four-Beta track uniform and go running with the other seniors and juniors. While the younger group exercised in the yard, the older group would do lengthy stretches and jog a standard three-mile loop around the university. The Four-Beta members alternated upper-body and lower-body workouts: on the days the sophomores and freshmen did pushups and sit-ups the seniors and juniors went running, and vice-versa.

Group exercise was mandatory for all Four-Beta members. The rule about attending physical training was one of the most inflexible mandates of the sorority, because the women knew that by nature people tend to be lazy and not as likely to exercise on their own as they are in a group. Part of Four-Beta daily life was rigorous physical activity, which fit into the over-all philosophy of caring for one’s own body.

The women only wore uniforms when going out to run because they had to. In the sorority’s back yard (or in the basement gym during the winter) the exercise uniform consisted of nothing except shoes and socks. There was nothing sexy about what the women were doing, not a hint of eroticism during the group PT. Instead what the Four-Betas were pursuing was an effort to re-kindle the old spirit of Gymnos. The sorority argued that it was better to exercise in the nude because clothing inhibits the natural process of sweating and free movement. The idea of complete nudity extended to deodorant, make-up, and perfume. The women were not allowed to put anything on their bodies that might inhibit their natural bodily processes, especially perspiration. Another goal of the nude exercising was to re-enforce the idea that a person should never feel uncomfortable with her own body or with seeing the bodies of other people.

Lisa and Kathleen were relatively fit, so they did not struggle nearly as much as Bernadette and Cherine. Still, considering that the other women in the group had been performing the same exercises for over a year, the four pledges felt quite ashamed of their comparatively feeble efforts. Heather yelled at the newcomers, but let them know that for a while there would be some leniency as long as the pledges showed steady improvement.

Following the group workout the pledges got cleaned up and returned upstairs for breakfast. They ate on the porch with the sophomores, once again a very healthy morning meal of fruit, whole-wheat English muffins, and small bowls of granola.

Although she had sat down with them only twice, Lisa could tell that the women of the Four-Beta Sorority were very serious about any topic they wanted to discuss. Their concerns were academics, current events and politics, fitness, women’s issues, personal relationships, and sex, in that order. They did not discuss fashion, music, sports, or popular entertainment.

The sophomores engaged the pledges in conversation, talking at length about the university and various classes. After a while the topic shifted to university politics and then to current affairs. One of the Four-Beta sophomores mentioned a massive ongoing financial and political scandal that had been the top business news story for the past month. The scandal involved a botched attempt by Mega-Town Associates, the dominant corporation in the United States, to seize control of the government of an obscure European country called Upper Danubia.

Lisa was very tempted to add her thoughts concerning the Danubian coup plot, because she happened to know much more about it than any of the other women at the table. However, she decided to hold her tongue, because her friends Cecilia Sanchez and Jason Schmidt, along with another friend of Lisa’s ex-boyfriend Mike, had been directly involved in disrupting the attack by warning the Danubian government. Apparently Lisa’s friends had placed themselves in personal danger, because they suddenly and secretly left the U.S. and she had not heard from them since. She did not know what to make of their sudden departure, and felt uneasy bringing something so serious up among a group of women she was trying to get to know.

The discussion moved to the merits of Mega-Town Associates in general, and about whether it was good or not that a single company had so much power. Most of the women did not like Mega-Town, but one sophomore defended them, saying: “At least they don’t kid around. The only reason everyone’s so afraid of them is because if they want something, they go after it and they get it. I wish the American government could be like that.” Most of the others, Lisa included, vehemently disagreed.

Whatever the merits of their opinions, Lisa’s future sorority companions were very serious students who used the pledge process to weed out the dumb princesses who belonged in other sororities. At the table they conversed with the pledges in a perfectly normal manner, but that was another part of the pledge process. During meals the normal formalities of pledge life were set aside, because the women genuinely wanted to get to know the four aspirants as persons and not just pledges. The women wanted to make sure that anyone allowed into their circle could think seriously and express herself clearly, not just do push-ups and withstand being yelled at by Tracy. At the same time they wanted the pledges to understand that they would not always be pledges. Once they passed through the initiation process they would be treated with much more respect.

“There’ll be plenty of times you think the pledging will go on forever, but it won’t. We all went through what you’re going through right now, and we all made it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

There were many topics and life skills the pledges had to learn before becoming full members of the sorority. Sexuality, sexual health, and knowledge about one’s own sexual needs were among the most important skills the Four-Betas wanted to pass along to new members. Upon swearing in as full members of the sorority, Lisa and her companions would be expected to have comprehensive knowledge of everything having to do with sex. Study topics included the human reproductive system of both sexes, health issues and medical conditions that could affect sexuality, methods of sexual intercourse and stimulation, orgasms, birth control and fertility, venereal disease, and how to have successful sexual relationships. As Heather put it:

“We plan to get rid of your innocence, because it’s innocence that makes women do stupid things and gets so many of us into trouble. Knowledge is power, and we’re gonna be giving you plenty of knowledge over the next three months. Practical knowledge, not just theoretical shit out of books. The next time any of you gets in bed with someone, you will know exactly what you’re doing and what you’re up against.”

At first glance the sexual treatment of the Four Beta pledges seemed very hypocritical and contradictory. The forced masturbation, public viewing, and erotic stimulation that went on during medical exams and pledge showers seemed completely at odds with the strict prohibition against sexual intercourse. Both the fraternity and the sorority conducted sexual hazing and encouraged frequent orgasms from their pledges, but denied them the right to engage in intercourse with other people.

Once a pledge understood the goal of the sexual education program, the apparent contradiction made more sense. The leadership of the fraternity and the sorority wanted new members to become knowledgeable about their own sexuality in a tightly controlled setting. Once they acquired that knowledge, then they would be ready to safely enjoy sexual relationships. The erotic stimulation was designed to familiarize a pledge with orgasms and make each person aware of the specific needs of his or her own body. Pledges were expected to submit to being sexually touched, but only upperclassmen who had earned the complete trust of the officers were assigned to have any physical contact with the newcomers.

There was particular concern among the Tri-Alphas about the Four-Beta pledges, and that concern existed for a very good reason. In other fraternities it was common for the less scrupulous upperclassmen to seduce sorority pledges and “little sisters”. The female pledges tended to be vulnerable because they had just entered college and were eager to do what was necessary to impress and please fraternity upperclassmen. Many of the 18-year old women started college very naïve and every year many got into trouble. Every September, throughout the university there were annual scandals involving rapes, alcohol poisoning, and the use of drugs such rohypnol.

The ongoing fraternity sex scandals never affected the Tri-Alphas, because the “Triple A’s” handled interaction with female pledges very differently than most other fraternities. The Tri-Alphas’ leadership mandated that female pledges were completely off-limits. The fraternity members were encouraged to date and have relationships with members of the Four-Beta sorority, but only with the women who had passed the initiation and completed the sexual education program. Any attempt by a Tri-Alpha to have sex or intimate personal interaction with a Four-Beta pledge was punished by immediate expulsion from the fraternity.

The Four-Beta pledges, in turn, answered to no one except the sorority’s Sergeant-at-Arms and her assistant. On the second day of their internment Tracy made it very clear that under no circumstances were the pledges to obey orders from anyone except President Alexandra, Sergeant-at-Arms Heather, or herself. If anyone else, male or female, ever tried to tell them to do anything, they were to immediately report the incident to Tracy.

The third day of the initiation process was full of sexual education classes, the first four hours of which were given on the back patio. Lisa, Cherine, and Bernadette sat at a table in the shade, while Kathleen lay in the sun on a deck chair to continue getting rid of her tan lines. Heather passed out notebooks and told the pledges they would be tested on the material they were being given.

The first class was a two-hour review of the human reproductive system, with an emphasis on the role sexuality plays in reproduction. The presentation was followed by quick exercise break and then a quiz to review the material. The next lesson was an enhanced version of the venereal disease lecture from the night before, given by the same Tri-Alpha Pre-Med student. Once again the lecture was followed by an exercise break and a review.

There was a light lunch, and then Heather and Tracy took the four pledges into the Four-Beta ceremonial room for a five-hour anatomy lecture and practical exercise titled: “Your vagina and beyond”. The pledges realized there would be much more to the five hours than just a lecture when they saw the gynecological exam chair set up next to a table of medical examination instruments.

Heather and Tracy took turns explaining what doctors look for when they subject a patient to a gynecological exam. They showed the pledges various medical diagrams and forced them to memorize the medical terms they would need to conduct and write up their own examinations. They two seniors then passed out speculums and other medical devices and showed the pledges how they worked. Finally the trainees received examination sheets and medical checklists.

“OK, Pledges, here’s where any mystery about what’s between your legs stops. You’ve already undergone an initial exam, but that was for our information and you were not actively participating. Today’s different. Now it’s your turn to conduct the examinations. You will be examining each other, and we’re not just talking about a quick peek. I want a full medical report from each of you about one of your fellow pledges. Each of you will conduct a full gynecological exam, and each of you will submit to a full gynecological exam. We expect each exam to be conducted thoroughly and professionally, and the forms complete with the correct medical vocabulary you’ve just been taught. Consider this a real-life test of what you’ve learned you so far.”

Lisa felt a tingle of excitement, but her three companions blushed and cringed at the thought of having to so completely expose themselves to each other. Heather turned to Lisa.

“Pledge Lisa, you’re first. Get up in the chair.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lisa climbed into the chair and put her legs in the stirrups, spreading her legs wide, hanging her bottom over the edge of the table, and completely exposing herself to the other five women in the room.

“My assistant Tracy will do a demonstration on Pledge Lisa. That’s to make sure that none of you can claim you don’t know what you’re supposed to do. I’m warning you now; if you have any modesty about this, you’d better get over it real fast and do these exams right. If you don’t, your butts will be spending quality time with the paddle.”

Tracy put on a pair of medical gloves and took her position next to Lisa. After measuring her pulse and heartbeat, she began by inspecting the subject’s lower abdomen. She noted Lisa’s appendectomy scar in her report, but added that the subject did not have any other abnormalities. She made a two other notations, that the patient seemed to have a normal amount of pubic hair, but regularly shaved her entire vaginal region. The last time she had shaved apparently had been about four days before the exam. The other notation that she made was that, from the general appearance of the patient’s genitalia, she was sexually active.

Lisa’s examiner moved to a visual inspection of the soft folds of her vulva and the opening of her vagina, carefully examining for any problems. She calmly separated Lisa’s labia minora and labia majora to examine the hymen, urethral opening, and opening to her vagina. She noted the size of Lisa’s clitoris and the development of her labia minora and majora. She made a final notation:

“Over-all condition of Lisa Campbell’s external vaginal region indicates a high level of sexual activity. The patient acknowledges daily sexual contact with a single male partner, as well as less frequent episodes of self-stimulation via contact between her fingers and her clitoris.”

Heather addressed the other three pledges: “The examiner has completed the external visual part of the exam. You noticed that she was not shy about touching the patient’s genitalia to get a good visual. That is absolutely necessary. Any questions?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Good. So now you know what I’m expecting on the external pelvic exam. Now for the internal pelvic exam.”

Heather snapped her fingers at Bernadette and pointed at a bowl of warm water containing a speculum. Bernadette nervously passed the bowl and its scary-looking contents to Tracy, who reached in and took the device. She gently inserted it into Lisa and opened it to expose her cervix. She shined a light to illuminate that intimate part of the patient, and instructed each of her witnesses to take a look.

Heather continued: “The area is examined for ulcerations, cysts, bleeding, enlargements, or menstrual discharge. The positioning of the cervix is also noted. Now, if we were in a doctor’s office, the next step would be to scrape some sample cells with a swab. We’ll have to skip that part because we don’t have the right lab equipment. That’s the only part of a standard exam we’re skipping, however.”

With that Tracy slowly pulled out the speculum, checking for any inflammation or other problems. Heather noted what she was doing and told the pledges to make sure to pay attention to that detail upon removing the device.

Tracy handed the speculum back to Bernadette. She took off her gloves and made some notes about the condition of Lisa’s cervix and further evidence of her subject’s frequent sexual activity. Tracy put on a new pair of medical gloves and lubricated her fingertips. She inserted two fingers into Lisa’s vagina and with her other hand palpated and pressed down on her lower abdomen. Lisa felt some uncomfortable pressure as Tracy searched for her various organs.

“OK, now for the fun part.”

Tracy changed gloves yet again, lubricated the fingertips of her right hand, and inserted a finger up Lisa’s bottom and another into her vagina. Leaving her fingers in place, she turned to her increasingly nervous spectators:

“You will complete the bimanual exam by checking the condition of muscles that separate the vagina and rectum. With the index finger in the vagina and the middle finger in the rectum, you can more accurately feel the posterior surface of the uterus, cervical ligaments, the ovaries, and the side walls of the pelvis. You will note the shape of the rectum as you remove your finger.” Tracy pulled out her fingers and held up the one that had been in Lisa’s bottom. She continued: “Feces that adhere to the gloves are examined for mucous or blood, because you’re also looking for rectal disorders.”