The men of the Inter-fraternity Council did a little experiment Friday night.
A group of fresh faces gathered at the Student Center as participants in the experiment, in this case as prospects for fall fraternity recruitment. Junior Chris McNeill of Sigma Nu gave a rundown of the evening, the first EMU fraternity tour of its kind.
“It’s a formal opportunity to get to know the [members] and fraternity houses, then the [prospective] guys are offered a bid if they’re liked, to formally begin rush,” McNeill said.
Lead by McNeill and fellow IFC members, including Matt Rutkoske, senior and IFC executive vice-president, 20 or so young men emptied into the dusky twilight to see the first house.
Burgers sizzled on the front porch as the group arrived at Tau Kappa Epsilon, aka TKE, next to Tom’s Party Store on Ballard Street. Fraternity members welcomed the rushes, gave a house tour and answered questions. While this was a “formal opportunity” for new recruits to get a feel for each house, the atmosphere was relaxed and members mingled openly.
After 20 minutes, the group moved on with a parting invitation from the top of the porch stairs.
“Feel free to come by and hang out, we’re gonna be playing poker and video games later…” said junior Chris Knight, TKE Recruitment Chair.
Phi Sigma Phi, aka PSP, was the next stop, across Cross Street. The atmosphere shifted, and the purpose of “House Rounds” became apparent, as subtleties between the fraternity houses showed. The group entered a house that looked and felt like another fraternity, but it was not a replica of the last.
“We have a motto – The Golden Rule,” began senior Chris DeHondt, PSP president.
It was a mutual interview, a “What are you looking for?” from members and recruits, gathered on the variety of second-hand living room couches.
“We try to live by our values, we’re close-knit, and I like that it’s not about the numbers; it’s about the bonds,” DeHondt said.
What does one look for and hope to find in the pursuit of Greek Life?
“Hanging around with new people, trying to find the whole reason behind the ‘college experience,’ the personalities.,”freshman Jeff Twardzik said.
But what underlined this evening, what most were seemingly getting at, were “brotherhood” and “loyalty.” It is true these are common themes in fraternities; these words were echoed throughout the night.
“All were very focused and passionate about what they wanted to do and it made me realize my own passions, also in helping my brothers here,” said junior Gary Michael about joining PSP, standing next to DeHondt in front of the TV.
A statement from earlier in the evening came to mind. McNeill’s words in the Student Center resounded in this moment.
“Our focus is not parties, we’re out to meet people and have new experiences,” he said.
The men of PSP again spoke of “passion,” for their values: “Honor, Justice, Wisdom,” and namely, their philanthropic efforts. Above all, EMU’s Greek community strives to uphold common values of civic engagement, intellectual development, positive relationships, integration of purpose and leadership development. While many enter in the pursuit of “brotherhood,” members find themselves educated by these standards.
“Through talking to HART, we did a wine tasting and auction for community service last year,” DeHondt said.
HART is an Ann Arbor-based organization, which raises money for HIV/AIDS services. PSP has also planted trees in Detroit and provided tutoring at service centers for Section 8 housing, which is subsidized for low-income families.
Heading out the front door, the recruits were seen off with verbal invites to PSP hangouts.
DeHondt said, “Theo’s Tuesday night improv jam at 10 p.m. is the highlight of my week.”
“And we have game night coming up every Thursday,” said Michael, while joking with fellow members and not forgetting to mention the BBQ and softball league on Monday nights.
Back on the sidewalk in the cool night, the group of IFC members and new recruits continued on to Alpha Kappa Lambda, Arm of Honor, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Sigma Phi, Sigma Nu and Phi Sigma Kappa.
For more information on Greek Life, visit http://emich.edu/campuslife/greek-life .
