By Jared Shurman
When you step on campus freshman year, every organization that tries to recruit you is going to sell their organization as “being a part of something bigger than yourself.” While many organizations can say they have a sense of brotherhood, Alpha Kappa Psi truly embodies it. My attendance at Alpha Kappa Psi convention this summer allowed me to witness, first-hand, the meaningful relationships brothers from around the world developed as a result of their membership in AKPsi. Convention proved to me Alpha Kappa Psi isn’t just an organization, it’s a family.
While looking around a ballroom filled with over a thousand people, knowing each went through a similar pledge process, partook in similar rituals, and passed the same fraternal exam was neat, it was the impassioned stories brothers shared that made the event special. Every brother I spoke to could not speak highly enough of their chapter members, each having a heartwarming story of friendship to share.
There are a few stories from the four-day event that continue to stick in my mind. There was one brother from the University of Iowa who told of the time his car broke down on his drive home from school, and one of his brothers drove two hours out of his way so he would have a place to stay while his car was being fixed. There was the story an alumnus from our region in which he was in a car accident and the first people to show up at the hospital were his fraternity brothers from years before. We shared stories from our own chapter as well, in which brothers were early adopters of a business, provided support during times of loss with cards, gifts, and kind words, and purchased clothes and appliances after a brother experienced a house fire.
Every organization says that they have a brotherhood, but Alpha Kappa Psi has more than that. My time at convention imparted on me what it truly means to be a member of this great organization. You become a part of a family. Through good times and bad, your brothers will be there, by your side, supporting you every step of the way.
I am one person out of hundreds of members and alumni of our chapter that feel this way. During rush, ask brothers what it means to be a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi. Ask about a time a brother stood up for them, helped them out of a jam, and embodied what brotherhood means. When you hear their answers, just remember that there are thousands of brothers and alumni who share the same stories of the fraternity. When you rush AKPsi, you open yourself up to joining that kinship yourself.
