the answer is "more often than you think"
Part of my job is convincing college students that their collegiate experience won't be complete without joining my fraternity. Because there are a lot of benefits to joining...some tangible, some not so much. Of the intangible benefits, the one I find so amazing is the network of 30,000+ collegiate and alumni members that we have across the country. When our members are traveling or relocating, it's becoming more and more common for them to seek out other members in that area to get together.
But for someone just learning about the fraternity, they're always a little skeptical when I tout this network as a benefit. They ask disdainfully, "How often will you come across the paths of 30,000 others in our great United States?" (direct quote from a student)
And my answer is always this: "more often than you think." Because in the ten years I've been a member, I've been surprised time and again by where I meet other members...and not just when I'm looking for them, either. For me, the best (and possibly most memorable) examples of our widespread presence are the unplanned, unexpected meetings...the ones that confirm it really is a small world out there...
...like the time I met a member from a Georgia chapter on a ski lift in Virginia.
...like the time I met an inactive alumna from my own chapter in a grocery store.
...like the time I called a student activities office, and found out the person I needed to speak with was a member from an Ohio chapter.
...like the time a member from a Delaware chapter that I'd hung out with in Boston ended up living down the road from me...in Texas.
Those are the stories that make me love being a member of a national fraternity...that reassure me when I'm frustrated...that confirm my belief that joining this fraternity is the best choice college students can make.
Now if only they'd stop wrinkling their noses at my answer.
Where I am: Home
But for someone just learning about the fraternity, they're always a little skeptical when I tout this network as a benefit. They ask disdainfully, "How often will you come across the paths of 30,000 others in our great United States?" (direct quote from a student)
And my answer is always this: "more often than you think." Because in the ten years I've been a member, I've been surprised time and again by where I meet other members...and not just when I'm looking for them, either. For me, the best (and possibly most memorable) examples of our widespread presence are the unplanned, unexpected meetings...the ones that confirm it really is a small world out there...
...like the time I met a member from a Georgia chapter on a ski lift in Virginia.
...like the time I met an inactive alumna from my own chapter in a grocery store.
...like the time I called a student activities office, and found out the person I needed to speak with was a member from an Ohio chapter.
...like the time a member from a Delaware chapter that I'd hung out with in Boston ended up living down the road from me...in Texas.
Those are the stories that make me love being a member of a national fraternity...that reassure me when I'm frustrated...that confirm my belief that joining this fraternity is the best choice college students can make.
Now if only they'd stop wrinkling their noses at my answer.
Where I am: Home
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