Yale Daily News

Updated: Sunday, November 22, 2009 6:56 p.m.

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Tap marked by penalties

Contributing Reporter
Published Thursday, September 25, 2008

Tap night descended on Old Campus last night, bringing with it a taste of tradition and, this time around, perhaps a bit of bitterness, as well.

Yale’s 14 a cappella groups tapped new members Wednesday night, ending a tumultuous rush process complete with fierce competition and group-on-group policing. The Singing Group Council — comprising representatives from all the a cappella groups — cracked down on groups throughout the rush season, enforcing regulations that in the past have been widely ignored.

Four separate groups, the Baker’s Dozen, Mixed Company, Proof of the...

#1 By Cullen M. 1:38p.m. on September 25, 2008

Oh. Sweet. God.

It's *singing*. Please stop taking yourself seriously, especially when your legacy began in the back of a smoky barbershop.

#2 By Cullen M. 2:02p.m. on September 25, 2008

I like singing quite a bit, so forgive me. Also, I like this article. Well done, Florence Dethy.

#3 By awesome 1:57p.m. on September 26, 2008

Remove all regulatory bodies from this process. I think everyone would have more fun.

#4 By You're Kidding... 8:47a.m. on October 1, 2008

Wow. Singing groups take themselves a tad to seriously for contributing basically nothing to campus except an occasional headache and two singing thingies a year.

#5 By Another school's perspective 4:30a.m. on November 2, 2008

Ya gotta love tradition and all but at the school where I attended, there was a much more civilized process--after auditions, all the groups created their lists of who they wanted and then sent representatives to a big meeting. One by one, names were yelled out and, if more than one group wanted that person, their envelope was opened (each auditioner fills one out, listing the groups they want to be in, in order of their preference). Whoever, the auditioning person ranked as their top pick, that group got them.

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