[roqueemae]

This post makes me all warm and fuzzy-like

Originally posted by phikappapsiman
So here's my funny "minority" story...

Back in the late 1980's (around 1989 or so), I decided to take a road trip from my parents house in Tennessee back to Palo Alto. I had been out of college for a few years, and I really wanted to see some of the other Phi Psi chapters, knowing that my chapter at Stanford was DEFINITELY more racially diverse than others, especially in the South. So, I was really apprehensive about stopping by Ole Miss and OU and some of the other schools, because even though I am a Brother (fraternity wise), I am also a Brother (African-American wise) as well.

Anyway, I pull up to the Ole Miss house, debating whether or not to go knock on the door, and I basically say to myself, "...What the F***..." and knock. This guy opens the door, I introduce myself, and he made me feel SO welcome-it was like visiting a chapter anywhere! I stayed the night, talked to the guys, and I even met up with a few of them in Memphis a few years later as they were trying to start an alumni chapter there.

The bottom line is...I was so caught up in my own worries and insecurity about race that I overlooked the important thing-I was as much of a brother as any other Phi Psi. Now, would I have ever been a member of that chapter? Probably not, but each chapter is individual and chooses their members based upon what is best for that particular chapter. My Cal Beta chapter is not the same as PhiPsiRuss's Florida Alpha chapter, or IowaStatePhiPsi's Iowa Beta chapter, but I am sure that if I were to visit either one, I would be welcome, as they would at my chapter. College life is so short that finding a group that you like and that likes you should be the one thing that matters most...

"...I can't deny the fact that you like me...Right now you LIKE me!..."
Sally Field, Oscar Night 1984