On Friday, I officially joined a fraternity. I received a call on Wednesday from Gamma Psi asking me to come to Rush on Friday, Feb. 10.
I transferred to Longwood after one year of community college at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College. During my sophomore year, I tried to get into Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity on campus, but I didn't get in.
Last fall was my first semester as a resident assistant, so I couldn't apply for any Greek organizations during that time. I was also very wary of fraternities because of the widespread stereotypes.
As I have found out, though, these seem to be just that – stereotypes and nothing more, at least in my experience.
I already had several friends in Gamma Psi by my junior year. Many of them, including the fraternity’s president, I met through the Politics Club. One was on the same residence hall as me last year, another was in the Philosophy and Debate Club with me and some were in my classes. So, I already had a relationships with many people in this fraternity, unlike the members for Alpha Phi Omega.
At times, I do feel some regret for not making more of an attempt to join Alpha Phi Omega because it's a service fraternity, one affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Since I'm an Eagle Scout, Alpha Phi Omega is a little more relevant to my past as a fraternity than Gamma Psi. My scoutmaster actually told me to look into Alpha Phi Omega.
In the end, though, I found myself drawn more to Gamma Psi. I suppose being in a social fraternity rather than a service one isn't so bad; my dad is a member of Theta Chi, after all. To me, it's more about where I feel I fit in the most.
My initial wariness of a fraternity was echoed by several of the friends I met through Gamma Psi. Therefore, my change in sentiments toward Greek organizations may be more common than I think.
At any rate, I'm glad I decided to join a fraternity after all. This will help me continue to meet new people and to increase my confidence in myself.
