The not-so-humble beginnings of fraternity Slamma Slamma Slamma

Many college guys idly wish they could have their own fraternity, but few actually live the dream. For seniors Elliot Dorsch and Carlos Soto, what began as a joke has evolved into a thriving "Old School"-style organization poised to last long after its founding members graduate this spring.

In their sophomore year, Dorsch and Soto led the group of four "founding fathers" who brought Slamma Slamma Slamma (Tri-Slamma) to life. "We started out as close friends and then made this into a type of frat," Dorsch explained.

Far from resembling versions of a toga-clad and beer-drenched John Belushi, both Dorsch and Soto are clean-cut, polite and well-spoken. It's a little hard to imagine that Tri-Slamma evolved from the kinship of, as Dorsch put it, "a group of friends that did not necessarily want to be in frats," who "hung out a lot, played Beirut and went to Hooters a lot."

Or maybe it's all too easy.

Before the end of that first year, Tri-Slamma had their first, albeit unofficial, rush and subsequent pickups night, which required, among other activities, the founding fathers to "teach [pledges] to properly funnel," Soto explained. As for the substances funneled, Soto claimed it was "all stuff you can purchase at Frist . . . with the exception."

From this humble beginning, Soto said, "it just kept growing." The group now boasts approximately 25 carefully selected members.

Since Tri-Slamma's inception, Dorsch and Soto have shunned the traditional rush process. "We're friends with the people first," Dorsch said. "It's not a blind, 'I'm going to go rush a frat' thing, which is basically committing yourself to friends you don't know.

It's also a group of friends with almost unreal benefits. A well-connected member has access to free Yankees tickets, which allows for frequent Tri-Slamma "field trips" to the Bronx. Last year, new members, having survived both 151 Week (enough said) and a more traditional Hell Week, were rewarded by getting to meet Yankees players. Another member has access to a small private plane, enabling Tri-Slamma to take tropical vacations. But Soto firmly maintained that, "it's a coincidence that these people have these assets."

Although the plane seats a mere 11, Dorsch and Soto turned this disadvantage into an opportunity for some healthy competition; for their fall break trip to Florida, Tri-Slamma members competed in a Beirut tournament for one of the 11 free spots. Those with less accurate aim had to pay their own way.

But it's not all privileged fun and games. Funding the Tri-Slamma lifestyle without demanding dues from members means that, as Soto put it, "we're kind of broke."

"But we're good gamblers," Dorsch added. Tri-Slamma road trips to Atlantic City are a popular bonding routine.

Tri-Slamma also encourages camaraderie among members in more traditional ways. "We meet formally once every three weeks and informally almost every day," Dorsch said. The official get-togethers require members to learn facts about each other and then get quizzed, a game made more difficult by a beverage penalty for wrong answers. "Everyone has their own activities," outside of Tri-Slamma, Soto explained, "so there's good representation." Dorsch is a History major and also sings with Shere Khan, while Soto, a Politics major, runs Model UN and Model Congress.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The welcoming atmosphere of Dorsch and Soto's dorm room also helps encourage the everyday meetings. It's home to necessities such as a ping-pong table and arcade basketball and, Soto added, "we may or may not have a kegerator."

"Any time people are dissatisfied with the Street, they come to us," Dorsch explained.

But Tri-Slamma seems to provide more than just another social venue for Princetonians in the know. That it has so successfully taken root at the university is a testament to the bonds the Tri-Slamma members have established with each other, bonds that go beyond their ability to consume 200 wings at Hooters. Neither Dorsch nor Soto seems worried about the longevity of Tri-Slamma. Soto explained, "It's a way of life, the way we behave . . . even if we don't necessarily have the name, the way of life continues." When Dorsch and Soto head off to the professional world or possibly law school, they will leave behind loyal remaining members, Tri-Slamma artifacts such as the ping-pong table, and of, course the Tri-Slamma cheer: "Slamma, Slamma, Slamma. We drink, drink, drink and destroy, stroy, stroy."

"As for what we've stroyed," Soto said, "we're gonna have to plead the 5th . . . "