|
IV. My first encounter
Before I came to Umass and before I started my involvement with Gamma Zeta, I literally had no idea how to join a fraternity. I had no idea what a "rush" was or a "pledge." When I decided to go to lambda chi to see what it was about, I was expecting that "rush" was going to be some sort of test, where they would make you do strange things, maybe some hazing, abuse you, etc., just all the things that someone who never joined a fraternity has as a stereotype. I didn't know that rush was supposed to be fun and to try to sell you on the fraternity, I always thought that it was supposed to be the candidate looking for acceptance by the fraternity.
I walked up to the door of Gamma Zeta. I've been in it before, but that was on a Friday night with many other people. Here it was a chilly Tuesday, no one else in sight. It was a dark New England fall evening, and I could see the white puff of my breath as I exhaled. I nervously knocked on the door. I didn't know who answered it, but I was invited in. The house looked alot different sober. As soon as I walked in I saw 15 guys, standing around the pool table shooting pool, game on the tv, eating buffalo wings and having a few beers. The atmosphere was calm, relaxed, but fun. The room was dark, with a haze of smoke in the air. The multi colored pool table light was reflected against the glass windows.
I was shy and nervous, not really sure what to expect next. Were they going to haze me? Maybe they were going to interview me in some little room. Maybe egg me.
"Hey man, grab some wings, you want next game?" is the first words I heard.
That night I met everyone in the fraternity. It was the single most diverse group I had ever met in one place. There was the cool guy, the skinny guy, the fat guy, the drunk, the druggie, the smart guy, the crazy guy, the fighter, the ladies man, the jock, the geek and dork, the metrosexual, the man's man, the guy who never showered, a jewish guy, an asian, a redneck, an ackward guy, the military guy, the loud mouth, the quiet guy and on and on.
But despite their diversity, I noticed one thing: their differences didn't matter. They were all friends. The drunk was playing pool with the quiet guy. The military guy was watching the game with the jewish guy. The asian and redneck were playing darts.
I played some pool, had some wings, and just talked to people. There really wasn't anything else to it. I was a little apprehensive because I was still waiting for a surprise or something to happen. But towards the end of the night I started to relax a little more.
They didn't try to sell me on the fraternity that night, or themselves, in fact they never really ever tried to give me any type of sales pitch. They didn't get in my face about how great Lambda Chi was and the whole associate v. pledging and no hazing, and yada yada yada, and brotherhood forever, and go Lambda Chi go, blah blah blah, Warren Cole and We believe in Lambda Chi Alpha and Gamma Zeta or die.
We just talked. If I had a question they answered it, nothing more, nothing less. They seemed more interested in who I was and what I liked, not weather I wanted to rent a room and when I could start paying dues.
I guess that night I learned what it is to be a LCA and in a fraternity. It was about friendship. A group of people coming together to support a common cause. And through that common cause lifelong friendship and brotherhood was developed and established.
I went back to my dorm room that night wanting to find out more about LCA, but more importantly the people that were in it.
NEXT: The rest of my rush and my first steps as a pledge.
|