Alexandra Robbins, Author of Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, at DePauw April 5

March 4, 2005

March 4, 2005, Greencastle, Ind. - "Robbins' account of life inside the sorority house... makes for fascinating reading," wrote Booklist of Alexandra Robbins' Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities. On Tuesday, April 5, Robbins will come to the campus of DePauw University -- where America's first sorority was founded -- for a Gertrude and G.D. Crain Jr. Lecture. The event, at 4:15 p.m. in Meharry Hall of historic East College, is free and open to all.

In 1999, at age 23, Robbins garnered attention and acclaim for being the reporter who successfully dug up George W. Bush's grades at Yale for the New Yorker. Since then, she's become a best-selling author. Her other books include Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power; Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties; and, most recently, Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis: Advice From Twentysomethings Who Have Been There and Survived.

Elle Girl calls Pledged "better than reality TV -- it's riveting," while Washington Monthly describes Robbins' examination of the sorority system "fascinating and eye-opening... an astonishing slice of American life."

Alexandra Robbins is a journalist who was formerly on the Washington, D.C. staff of the New Yorker magazine. She has written for a variety of other publications, including Atlantic Monthly, the Washington Post, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, and Salon. Robbins regularly appears in the national media on shows such as 60 Minutes, Today, Oprah!, and NPR's Diane Rehm Show. E. J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist and author of Why Americans Hate Politics calls Robbins "a bold new voice and a superb reporter with an eye for the good story."

Following her appearance, Robbins will be available to autograph books and answer individual questions.

Endowed by Rance Crain, president of Crain Communications and a member of DePauw's Class of 1960, the lecture series, which honors Mr. Crain's parents, was created last spring to enrich the DePauw environment in the area of public affairs and public issues. The Series is moderated by Ken Bode, Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism. Previous Crain Lecturers have included political analyst Charlie Cook; FactCheck.org director Brooks Jackson; veteran political columnist Jack Germond; military sociologist Charles Moskos; historian Douglas Brinkley, author of Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War ; David A. Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union; and Joe Trippi (seen at left), who managed Howard Dean's presidential campaign.

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