Those of us that have been at N.C. A&T for a while know that this is about the time of year that we can expect to see all of the fraternities and sororities introduce their new lines to the campus.

The question of who’s on what line plagues everyone’s mind as they anxiously await each probate. Now that the time is drawing near, the campus is on alert. Students are watching their friends closely for any signs that might indicate that they are on line.

“In class I saw someone sleeping, and then I heard these girls say that he probably was on line,” said senior James McCall. “During the spring semester anytime people see someone that looks tired, or hasn’t been around as often, they automatically assume that the person is pledging. But that’s not always the case.”

The question is why is the process so secretive? Why should people have to guess? Do the organizations have something to hide?

“The process by which an individual is brought into an organization is very sacred,” said Damion Dudley, a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. “People think that we’re beating people up behind closed doors, but that’s not the case at all. The process is conducted like this to safeguard the information that each organization cherishes and holds sacred. Not only that, but imagine the harassment that the individuals on line would go through if the campus knew they were pledging,” said Dudley.

With that being said, the only thing that the student body can do is wait. Wait for signs, word of mouth, fliers, or any other indication that an organization will be probating.

“I was looking forward to seeing the Deltas come out,” said McCall. “They didn’t have a line last year, so I was anxious to see what they were going to bring to the campus this year.”

“I definitely couldn’t wait to see the Q’s (Omega Psi Phi) probate show. It was the first time that they had a line in while, so I knew it was going to be interesting,” said senior Meson Watkins.

This year Omega Psi Phi returned to campus after being suspended, which meant that all of the fraternities are now back on campus and are able to have a line.

Many students on campus also looked forward to seeing a line from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. The women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. didn’t have a line this year.

There is no definite way to know who is on line but to attend the probate shows and see for yourself, according to senior Carl Moses.

“Not knowing who’s on line is part of the fun of going to probates,” Moses said. “It could be your next-door neighbor and you never even realized they were on line.”

• Kyle Greene