When I came to this university four years ago, overly confident and remarkably na’ve, joining a fraternity was the last thing on my mind. It’s not that I was opposed to the idea, like the select few university students who view Greeks as the unfortunate pawns in society’s great push towards universal conformity. Nor was I gung-ho about it, ready to skip merrily into the first house with letters and an open door. Rather, I was lukewarm on the idea. Indifferent. My sights were focused on the freedom, challenge, and opportunity that the university would provide. Plus, I had come to West Chester with a strong group of high school friends, so I felt no need to introduce myself to a mysterious group of lettered twenty-somethings. But that feeling would soon change. Within a few days of moving into Tyson hall I met several fraternity men, each from a unique background. They were approachable, amiable, and genuinely interested in what I had to say. Curiously enough, none reminded me of the hoity-toity WASPs that antagonize tri-Lamb geeks or the heavy drinking protagonists of Animal House fame. It was these personal connections that eventually led me to join the fraternity system.
I entertained their invitation to rush (a term of unknown derivation, at least to the author, synonymous with the recruitment). Here, I built on these relationships. In the whirlwind process that followed, I encountered a bounty of new faces. Through formal meetings at Sykes and less formal off-campus events, I met the men who would become my best friends. I was introduced to the charitable and scholastic values that drive West Chester’s Greeks, and became familiar with the fraternity system.
The relationships I established during the recruitment process drove from me the remnants of my detached view of fraternity life, and cemented my entry into the Greek system of which I am proud to call myself a member.
To get involved, check out this week’s rush meetings in Sykes, Tuesday and Wednesday night between 7p.m. and 9p.m.
Kevin Stepp is the Vice President of Communications for the Interfraternity Council at West Chester University. He can be reached at KS634276@wcupa.edu.