When I was asked my senior year of high school if I was going to join a fraternity, I laughed at the idea because I had no intent at all. Greek life was just something I was not interested in; nothing about it really appealed to me, and I didn’t really understand what it would to mean to join. Then I got to RMU. After going to a few events at the start of the year, my perspective completely changed. I wanted to be a part of a brotherhood. Then the question was what brotherhood would I be a good fit for, and the answer didn’t take long to come.

A couple of weeks into the semester, I discovered the new fraternity on campus, Phi Mu Delta. I was invited to meet the brothers and come to their retreat. Not long after, I was offered a bid. With close to no hesitation, I accepted. Not only was I joining a brotherhood, I was making history-- the opportunity to be a founding father and help start something much bigger than myself was hard to pass by. The opportunities and experiences that PMD has already given me in only one school year is well worth every second of hardship that has come with joining. A growing fraternity is of course going to go through growing pains, and sometimes the journey was not the easiest. But guess what? PMD is still here, and the only way to go is up.

Now, there is a lot of people that would think my choice to join a fraternity was not the best. There are many people that believe in stereotypes and stigmas, especially in recent times when Greek life continues to get a bad reputation for one group's screw-up. I joined a fraternity that has the values of service, democracy, and brotherhood-- not hazing, excessive partying, and drugs. I think it’s about time for people to realize that you can’t judge Greek life based on what they see particular groups do, or what they see represented in movies. The reality is not everyone is going to have a positive Greek experience, and some fraternities/sororities are going to show more bad than good. Just like everything else in life, there are the good and bad times. Am I saying the actions of some groups that haze and do other things they shouldn’t do are okay? No, but I am not condemning them either. People make mistakes, and they learn from the consequences and the repercussions.

I’m not paying for friends, I’m not using the funds for parties, I’m not ruining my life. I’m part of a brotherhood that is giving me one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It was my choice to join, and I do not regret my decision.