Sarah Elson

It’s Sunday afternoon, and business is slow at Flowers Bar and Restaurant. Amid scattered groups of diners sits an 82-year-old woman settled comfortably in a booth across from the worn wooden bar. Her white hair is swirled high on top of her head, and her pink lipstick matches her sweater.

Chas Manfredi did not miss his high-school friends when he began his freshman year at the UW. Instead, he missed the guys from his unit in the Marine Corps.

Strobe lights flash and hundreds of people dance wildly as the music builds in intensity. The bass drops, and the sweaty, tightly packed crowd goes crazy.
For those who are rolling, the lights appear brighter, the music is more intense, and the crowd of strangers feels comforting.

It was a typical Thursday night in the Greek community. Groups of students traipsed through the rain, laughing, and shouting as they wandered from house to house.