The Greatest Show Ever - Freshmen Rock The House 2022-2023

Written By Tori Jacobs

Freshman Rock the House, also known as “The Greatest Show Ever” is a long-standing tradition at Texas Southern University. Contrary to the title, Freshman Rock the House is not only an event for freshman, but for all students. Freshman Rock the House’s agenda is to showcase the many organizations on the campus of Texas Southern University. This event was organized and hosted by the Pulse Administration of the Student Government Association. Freshman Rock the House officially took place last Monday on September 26th.

The Organization Drive was from 5pm-7pm, while the actual show started at 7pm. Although the date for FRTH was pushed back multiple times due to administration, SGA made sure the event lived up to students’ expectations. "Freshman Rock the House has always been entertaining but the opening number and the skits allowed it to be more engaging and interactive. It felt like an actual show this year." – Baileigh Robinson.

Freshman Rock the House was kicked off with the Organization Drive at 5pm. The Org Drive gave students a chance to browse the many organizations our school has to offer. ‘The show was entertaining, but I liked the drive more because it explained more in depth what the organizations were.’ - Alison Shackelford. There were many organizations present including Women of Gold, Her TSU, Brothers United, and many more. According to Jalen Jackson, our Internal Affairs Vice President, at the org drive ‘Organizations had a lot of people checking out their tables, and many of these orgs have never been seen before’. Also present at the org drive were bounce houses and refreshments at the Org Drive to keep students entertained while also giving the event a Carnival feel. Although Tyra Robinson, an attendee of the org drive stated, "The organizations should’ve had bigger signs to label what they were and what they do."

Starting at around 7:10pm was the actual show. The show’s objective was to bring these organizations to life. The openers of the show were TSU’s marching band, the Ocean of Soul, and the dancers of TSU Motion. The Ocean of Soul enthusiastically marched down the aisles of Sawyer Auditorium to the Houstonian anthem, “November 18 th ”. Following the Ocean of Soul’s intro, we saw organizations showcase their members and specific information about their org. The show did run longer than expected, ending around 10pm. This did have a negative effect on performers, with some of them complaining about exhaustion. Organizations involved in the show did complain about the mishaps occurring backstage. Not only did the show start later than expected, but some organizations were cut from the show altogether. Although the show seemed perfect on the outside, there were some difficulties pulling it all together. We interviewed attendees of Freshman Rock the House for their input regarding the event.

Ammonie from the Internal affairs committee stated, "While we were preparing for the show it was very

unorganized and all over the place." This was a common complaint amongst members of varying

organizations.

Ammonie also states, "Something that could’ve been done differently was just making sure all the orgs were there during FRTH practice." While there were many complaints about the structure of the show, the turnout for FRTH was high and those who put it together are aware of the mishaps that took place. Jalen Jackson says that one of the difficulties while putting this event together was "communication between organizations and administration."

Regardless of the good and the bad that took place at this year’s Freshman Rock the House, Jalen Jackson promises that next year’s show will be bigger and better. We’re excited to see what’s next.

As always,

Go Tigers!