By: Marisa Ortega, Editor
As a student of McKendree University most of us are involved in sports but always looking for something else to join. One group that you can become a part of is becoming a member of a Fraternity or a Sorority on campus. I had the opportunity to speak to members of a fraternity and sorority on campus to learn more about their community and what really goes on within them. When reaching out to fraternities I was given the chance to speak to Alpha Eta chapter(ADG) junior member Dylan Powell. ADG is a national fraternity on McKendree’s campus and has been active since August 2012. Currently there are 11 active chapters throughout the country at a variety of universities and colleges, including ADG’s sibling chapter Beta at St. Louis University just over the river.
According to Dylan, “Alpha Delta Gamma is founded on five basic principles, known as the 5 S’s: Scholastic, School Spirit, Service, Spiritual and Social. We challenge ourselves to live by these values on a daily basis, while also helping the development of the men in our brotherhood”. While being on McKendree campus or strolling through the community of Lebanon and other surrounding communities you can find the members of ADG helping out at service events. “Our philanthropies are Habitat for Humanity and Movember. When we are not serving the metro east, we like to be at tailgates, sporting events on campus and on the quad supporting other student organizations on campus at their social events!” since Dylan. You can recognize the Alpha Delts from their shirts with their Greek letters ADG.
After learning about one fraternity on campus from Dylan, I also had the opportunity to speak with junior Chloe Gamber who is one of the newest members of the sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma, also known as Tri-Sigma, on McKendree’s campus. Chloe said, “As a new member, I have felt very welcomed and could just jump right in with being involved! I have been going to events hosted on campus along with getting personalized training about the values of Greek life”. She continued to discuss how her initiation into Tri-Sigma went and how it made her feel about becoming a member of this sorority. “When it came to initiation, everyone made sure to make me feel special and emphasized that they wanted it to be perfect for me. I definitely feel the values of Tri-Sigma are ones that we all should consider in our lives: Wisdom, Power, Faith, Hope and Love” said Chloe.
Every fraternity and sorority have meetings to know about what is going on in everyone’s lives and to discuss whatever they may need for that week. Chloe says that “during each meeting we have an activity that helps us connect which I really enjoy. I have also enjoyed learning about the history of Tri-Sigma and the possible opportunities to meet other chapters sisters at conferences each year.” Tri-Sigma is also a national sorority that has many chapters throughout the country which allows its members to attend conferences each year to discuss their sorority as a whole chapter, while also being able to connect with other members from other chapters.
While speaking with Chloe, she was able to tell me about a fun event that the members of Tri-Sigma are participating in. As a chapter they will be having a sleepover to celebrate the founder’s day of Tri-Sigma. Based on everything I learned from speaking with both Dylan and Chloe, becoming a member of a fraternity or sorority will help create lifelong bonds with other members, give back to the community and also be able to participate in fun activities and events. These are just two of the chapters on McKendree’s campus, if you are interested in learning more about fraternities and sororities you can find more information on McKendree’s homepage.
