I recently had the opportunity to interview Thane Feldeisen, the president of the Nu Lambda Phi fraternity. The following is what transpired:
What do you like the most about your fraternity?
The ability to be open with guys and know that they have my back. For the first time in a long time I was able to be truly real with people about my struggles and past. My brothers are supportive and caring, checking up on me when it seems I’m not being myself. Not only is the fraternity supportive, but they are also constructive. My brothers will call me out when I do something out of line, and whereas I may not always appreciate it at the time, it’s all with the best intentions for me to grow and mature. I like that being in a fraternity isn’t just being with a group of friends, but it’s being with a group of brothers. No matter how corny or annoying it is when people refer to their fraternity as “brothers” or sorority girls flooding instagram with “I love my sisters!”, family is the best way to describe the relationship I have with the rest of the guys. We may not always get along or like each other, but ultimately we’re in this together and have each other’s backs.
What is your greatest memory of being a Nu Lamb?
My greatest memory of the nu lambs has to be when a group of us played tackle football in the snow. It was early February and the field was covered in about two feet of fresh snow, but that did not stop us. We formed teams and played for a long time. By the end of it I couldn’t feel my feet, but it was the most fun I have ever had at the college.
Your Fraternity puts on a lot of events, do you have a favorite?
My favorite even that we put on would have to be the Lamb Roast. We have put on the Lamb Roast during the fall semester for the past two years and it has been a lot of fun. Typically we hold it on a Saturday afternoon and we have a lot of food and a variety of lawn games such as flag football, spikeball, corn hole and sand volleyball, just to name a few. It’s a good way to just relax, have some good food and spend time hanging out with old friends and making new ones as well.
Does your fraternity support a specific charity or organization through fundraisers?
Recently, the Brothers of Nu Lambda Phi held an event known on campus as The Amazing Race. The goal of this event was to raise funds and support the local Young Life Ministry. After weeks of preparation and over 100 participants, Brother of Nu Lambda Phi, in partnership with the Sisters of Alpha Beta Tau, raised over $200 to donate to Young Life. Our support of Young Life stems not only from the call that Matthew makes in Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” and our agreeance that Young Life answers this call so well, but also from the current and past involvement of Nu Lambs within the Young Life Ministry.
Can you tell me a little about your faculty advisor and what he means to the Nu Lambs?
The faculty advisor to the Nu Lambda Phi fraternity is Joe Cirelli. Joe is the assistant head of Residence Life at Grove City College and beloved by many of the students on campus. Without question, Joe has a strong passion for fostering community in the residence halls at Grove City and that passion is clearly shown through his advisory position within the Nu Lambs. Not only does Joe make himself available on a regular basis to the Nu Lambs as a group, he is intentional on the individual level. He invests in each of the members, especially the leaders within the fraternity with whom he meets with on a regular basis. Without a shadow of doubt, the Nu Lambda Phi fraternity appreciates Joe’s role within the fraternity and hopes to be able to have his continual assistance in the future.
Can you speak to the friendships you’ve made as a member of the Nu Lambs that you might not have made otherwise?
Even before I was officially part of this fraternity the Nu Lambs gave me friends I never would have met on this campus and strengthened the relationships I had with others. The four of us that first wanted to restart this fraternity may not have been as close had we all not agreed to talk to the alumni freshman year. Since then, I’ve had the honor of meeting a lot of great guys who I would trust with a lot. I am really looking forward to getting to know the new guys better and getting to know a new pledge class in the spring.
