History runs deep for Fraternity and Sorority Life, with alumni membership dating back to the origins of each organization.
As students graduate, each leader guides the next as time rolls on, connecting the old with the new.
Roy Rucker Jr., Pi Kappa Alpha alumnus, said being in a fraternity and sorority life organization is cool because each person has a different story. It allows students to feed off each other’s insights and grow.
The alumni experience allows people to hone their experiences and have a dialogue, Rucker said.
“It’s donations, it’s coming out, it’s supporting us, it’s giving back whenever you’ve left college,” said Joseph Scanlan, broadcasting junior and Sigma Chi member.
Alumni donate money to help with social events, philanthropy and community service whenever they see that organizations are doing good, he said.
“There are tons of people who are actively involved in either their own chapter or their national organization. So, really understanding where it started from is really probably important,” Rucker said.
People think that once students are done as an undergraduate fraternity member then they don’t have to try and give back to the organization, but that’s not the case. Once they join, they are always going to be a fraternity brother, Scanlan said.
Connections from the vast network of Fraternity and Sorority Life are prevalent. Alumni are everywhere, said Star Simpson, theater junior and Delta Zeta Sorority member.
“The networking is just broad, very broad, and that’s one thing that I like about how the alumni act with the undergrads,” Scanlan said.
Some organizations at a national level have a tribune that keeps track of alumni for the organization and plans events to integrate and keep the network alive with meetings, acting as a bridge between alumni and active organization members, Scanlan said.
“Our alum are there for us in a lot of ways, and I think in a lot of ways they are there for us and they don’t realize that they are. Just them coming around, it’s a life changer for me,” said Allison Jones, political science junior and Delta Zeta Sorority member.
Alumni help with communication and guiding organizations to help it become more and more established. They lay out the groundwork for the organizations and act as a guiding light for new members to stay put together and organized, Jones said.
