Back to school. At Marquette we have moved in, braved syllabus week, and we are finally back into our groove as full-time students here in Milwaukee. As I've thought over what to write about this week, I tossed over a few ideas before coming down to something a bit selfish: me. Anyone who has read me before might notice my quippy author signature at the bottom, "Advertising Major. Triangle Fraternity. I don't get it either." For those of you that don't know, Triangle is a fraternity exclusive to students studying the fields of science or engineering, and I felt it only appropriate that I explain myself, so buckle in.

Before spring rush week even came around during my freshman year at Marquette, I already had a great relationship with the brothers of Triangle Fraternity. You see, my brother, Alex, had been a brother there for about two years and I spent a great deal of time there hanging out and having a blast with both him and the other actives. This was a great place for a young, naïve, and undeclared freshman to spend some time adjusting to college life. I was free to unwind after a week of classes in a safe and fun environment with a genuine and welcoming group of guys who had pretty much accepted me from the first time I was in the house.

Fast-forward to rush week during the spring semester of my freshman year. I was unsure what path I would take in Greek life; I definitely wanted to join a fraternity, but I just didn't know which way to go. It would go without saying that my brother constantly lobbied for me to come to Triangle, but I just felt like I should go my own route, carve my own path, which, at the time, in my little freshman brain, meant going wherever my friends went. I only checked out the fraternities that my friends were checking out, never really bothering to find what was best for me and, as a result, I felt myself moving away fromTriangle. That was until I got a text from our president asking to speak with me.

I walked over to Triangle on a Saturday afternoon after rush week. I was greeted at the door by my brother who escorted me into our chapter room (basically our meeting/hang out room) where the president, Rory, with whom I was already very close, welcomed me and sat me down. He went on to talk about how he respected my decision, whichever way I was to go, but made his case for Triangle and explained why I would make a great brother. Rory told me that my talents would be incredibly valuable to the chapter and that he felt I just fit in with their lot given how much time I had spent there.

I sat there for a bit in silence thinking it over what he had told me when I was offered a bid, an invitation to pledge, and Rory told me that the decision was mine to make, but he greatly hoped to see me at the house on Monday for our first pledge meeting. Monday night came, and I was in the house with the group of pledges and actives that would a few months later all be my brothers. Through the pledge process I learned of the history and mission of Triangle; I'll borrow a quote from one of our alumni, Herb Scobie, "In order to have a better world, we must first have a world of better men." As the pledge process went on, we pledges learned about brotherhood, quality, character, honor, and a myriad of other values of Triangle, all of which we came to hold in highest regard. The more I was instilled with the values and characteristics of a Triangle brother, the more I felt that it was where I truly belonged.

I'm proud to say that myself and my pledge brothers made it through the process and are now all active and proud members of Triangle Fraternity and are itching for any chance to get involved and serve our fraternity in any way possible. It was only after I passed initiation that I focused more on defining my academic path when I felt myself gravitating more towards the field of advertising and marketing, and so I became the black sheep at Triangle, but they accepted me nonetheless.

So, there you have the story of how a simple and confused freshman became an active brother of a science and engineering fraternity who would later take on the field of advertising. If there is anything I hope for people to take away from my story it is this: if you're looking to join a Greek organization, be brave and go where you belong, don't always just take the easy route and fall in with all of your friends. Take a leap, try something different, find the organization that fits you best and stick with it. As challenging as that may seem, I promise you it will benefit you in the long run.

Your friend in Greek life,

Brother Nicholas James Wolf