Author: Logan Hammerschmitt

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.

I recently had the opportunity to interview James Plante, the President of the Beta Fraternity, about his experiences with the fraternity. The following is what transpired:

What do you enjoy most about your fraternity?

I know it sounds cliché, but just the guys that join the group. When I first joined the Betas I always thought that we had to recruit to get good guys to join the group. If I have learned anything it is that the best guys we get are the ones who know what they are looking for and find it in our group. The ability to walk up and down a hall of 30 guys and walk-in to any of their rooms just to talk about anything (serious or not) is something I will always cherish.

What is your greatest memory of being a Beta?

I had the honor of serving as president of the Betas this past calendar year. This was one of the best experiences, and greatest learning experiences, probably of my life. This past year we fulfilled our goal of raising $25,000 for our fraternity scholarship that goes to one member of the fraternity. This fall we were actually able to reach $42,000. This has been my greatest memory of being a Beta. I know all the hard work that went into the vision for the scholarship and raising the money over the past 3 years.

Your Fraternity puts on a lot of events, do you have a favorite?

Easy. Monster Mash. I would argue it is one of the best dances on campus and I think others would agree.

Does your fraternity support a specific charity or organization through fundraisers?

From Monster Mash we actually raise close to $1,000 every year for the Alpha Omega crisis pregnancy center in Slippery Rock, Pa, which provides women with the resources necessary to ensure a safe delivery and life for their baby.

Can you tell me a little about your faculty advisor and what he means to the Betas?

Anyone who knows Professor Tim Sweet knows the kind of guy he is. He became our advisor my sophomore year and has been a tremendous help with our fraternity. With him leading our group we have been able to fulfill our goal of raising $25,000 for our scholarship.

Can you speak to the friendships you’ve made as a member of the Betas that you might not have made otherwise?

I have made some of the best friends in my life from my fraternity. We are each very different but I know we will be friends for life. In fact, 4 of my 6 groomsmen in my wedding next year are guys I pledged with 3 years ago.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Mackenzie Sharpe, president of the Gamma Sigma Phi sorority. The following is what transpired:

What do you like the most about your sorority?

I love the community. Being in the sorority has given me the opportunity to bond with girls I wouldn’t have met otherwise. They have become my best friends and I know we will be friends for our whole life. I wouldn’t have gotten to experience such close and unique relationships without the sorority. When you are an underclassman, it is great to have a group of girls who are older than you and take you under their wings. As an upperclassman, you have the opportunity to do the same for the younger girls. I have been able to participate in so many things through the sorority that I wouldn’t have otherwise, such as service projects, sorority events, Bible studies, and IM sports.

What is your greatest memory of being a Gamma Sig?

My greatest memory of being a Gamma Sig is living on the hall with my friends. It is an experience that is irreplaceable. I cannot define it by one specific event or moment because there were so many little things that make it such a great memory. I will look back on my time at the college fondly because of the fun that we had living on the hall together, no matter how stressed we were about school.

Your sorority puts on a lot of events, do you have a favorite?

I really love our fall party. We don’t have to get all dressed up like we do for formal (even though I think formal is great too) but still get to invite dates. We do a typical fall activity. This year we went to a haunted hayride and last fall we went to a corn maze. It is so much fun to do something like that with a big group of your friends.

Does your sorority support a specific charity or organization through fundraisers?

We support a few different charities through our fundraisers. Battle of the Bands is a case by case fundraiser, so we choose something that is relevant during the time we put it on. This year, all the profits went to the American Cancer Society in memory of a KAP alumni who recently passed away. Profits and canned goods donated at The Gobbler go to the Thrifty Threads Food Pantry to support Thanksgiving meals for local families. We Christmas Carol at County Market in the winter to support our Adopt-a-Family and put on a lemonade stand in the spring to support another relevant cause. Last year the money went to a scholarship fund in memory of a cousin of one of our sisters who had recently passed.

Can you tell me a little about your faculty advisor, if you have one, and what they mean to the Gamma Sigs?

Our faculty advisor is Dr. Kimberly Miller, a communications professor. She is so helpful when it comes to questions I have. She goes to lunch with us on occasion to catch up. Her family hosts us for an annual Christmas party and a picnic at the end of the year. She is so hospitable and we love having her as our “mom”.

Can you speak to the friendships you’ve made as a member of the Gamma Sigs that you might not have made otherwise?

I spoke about this a lot above but I will say it again because I am so passionate about it! I really would not have met my best friends if it weren’t for the Gamma Sigs. I did not know my three best friends before I joined the sorority. After joining, you are able to form friendships with others through living on the hall with them. Being surrounded by the people you love most every day is a blessing that I would not have received if I wasn’t in the sorority. We will be friends for life because we have so many shared experiences through the sorority.

Ashley Henderson is the president of Grove City College’s Sigma Theta Chi Sorority. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with her to talk about Greek Life and the impact her sorority has had on her life. The following interview is what transpired:

What do you like the most about your sorority?

My favorite thing about the Sigma Theta Chi sorority is definitely the diversity within the group, I just love how there is no cookie cutter Sig Thet. I think you can find people from all different backgrounds and all different “stereotypes” in the group, and that just makes me a better person because I’m constantly around people who have differing opinions and like to do different things than me, but at the same time I think that we all have a similar core set of values and we all share the bond of being a Sig Thet and wanting to better the group.

What is your fondest memory of being a Sig Thet?

My fondest memory was our 70^th anniversary that we had this past homecoming weekend. It was so great seeing all the different Sig Thets from the class of 1948 or 1950 and even those who graduated this past year. You could really see the character of a Sig Thet through all those years and I feel as though I would have been friends with all of the former sisters of the sorority regardless of what year they graduated. It’s really cool to see that bond of sisterhood transcend through 70 years. It’s definitely cool to see the diversity of sisters throughout the years and see how we’re all still the same.

Do you have a favorite event put on by the sorority?

My favorite event is our fall formal – I love getting all dressed up. We all go out for a fancy dinner and we bring dates, it’s a great time. My favorite event that we host on campus is our Big Man on Campus event, where guys from different housing groups and fraternities get to compete in a hilarious pageant. It’s really just a fun event for the whole campus community. I remember rushing and thinking that the event was so cool, and now that I help put it on I see just how much work goes into it and how much money we’re able to raise for the American Cancer Society. It’s fun and rewarding.

Is your sorority a part of Relay for Life?

Yes. The Sigma Theta Chi sorority and Pan Sophic Fraternity are the organizers of Relay for Life and each year we host different events from November to April. We try to get different groups around campus to form teams and they raise money throughout the year to give to the American Cancer Society and then for a 12 hour period we host a walk/ relay in the IM rooms. Each year we raise approximately $20,000. It’s really cool to see that event take shape and participate in all the planning.

Can you tell me a little about your sorority mom, Seniora Ligo?

Yes, Seniora Ligo is the best; we are incredibly blessed to have her as our sorority mom. She is very involved with the group and is always inviting us over to eat food or bringing us cookies. I consider her my actual mom. I know that if I was sick she would come take care of me and I know that she would do that for any Sig Thet as she genuinely cares about all of us.

Can you speak to the friendships you’ve made as a member of Sigma Theta Chi that you might not have made otherwise?

I can honestly say that I don’t think I would have stayed at Grove City if it wasn’t for Sigma Theta Chi and my water polo team. Coming in I only really knew one of the girls
I was pledging with, but then through pledge I have made 12 new best friends with whom I will have lifelong friendships. I actually just went to Colorado to visit a Sig Thet sister, I was in her wedding this past summer and I’m going to be in two other Sig Thet weddings coming up. It’s just crazy to see how I’ve gotten to have these lifelong friendships with girls who I could call in the middle of the night or I can just watch TV with. We’ll be
friends through all different walks of life and I’m not sure that I would have made those friendships had it not been for the Sigma Theta Chi sorority.