It has been a good semester for just about everyone on Greek Row. In the last couple of weeks, some houses have had successful philanthropy weeks, and some of the pledges have finished their quest to become active members of their respective fraternities or sororities. I don’t think enough credit is given to these people who give so much of their time and talent. They have brought a lot of energy to make our time here more enjoyable and memorable.
Service, in my opinion, is one of the greatest ways to define your character.
Three weeks ago, Sigma Chi, the fraternity of which I have the honor of being a member, put on its annual Derby Days, which is a whole week devoted to raising money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Each year, the fraternity’s proconsul is in charge of Derby Days. This year, Proconsul Winston Waltman put an incredible week together.
“Our goal is always to get as much money raised as we can this week,” Waltman said. “Anything over 10 grand is a good number for me to shoot for, and this year, we achieved that.”
Waltman said that many members of Greek Row contributed, and he is happy that people were so generous and helpful to the cause.
Over the years, Sigma Chi has done well to help the fight against cancer. Jon M. Huntsman Sr., one of our many great alumni, has matched dollar-for-dollar what the fraternity raised and always helped us in an incredible way to make this week a great experience.
We are not the only group on Greek Row to accomplish such things. I don’t think that I would be wrong in saying that other fraternities and sororities have similar achievements. It is an amazing thing to see so many members come together, if only for one week, for a great cause to help make this society better. As far as service is concerned, I, along with other members and pledges of Sigma Chi, helped an underprivileged school have a Halloween party.
I could go on and on about the great things that members of Greek Row have done, are doing and will do for the community. I feel that we make a great contribution to the U itself. Two of the finest people I have the pleasure of calling friends, current Associated Students of the University of Utah President Spencer Pearson and Vice President Basim Matiwala, are also members of Sigma Chi and have greatly helped to show how members of Greek Row can make a difference at the U.
So do I have a point in explaining the good things Greek Row does and a reason for this article? Absolutely! In the last two years, Greek Row as a whole has seen a decline in the number of people who rush the greek system and become members. Why is this?
Could it be because of the LDS versions of greek organizations? Possibly. Don’t get me wrong, what they do is great — but they just don’t and can’t compare to the experience that you get on Greek Row.
Or maybe the decline is due to a new generation of students.
One thing is for sure — you are missing out on a life-changing experience. I have experienced it and have seen others that I love and care about become better people. Whether they are LDS church leaders, political leaders or leaders and members of other fields, there are so many who would encourage everyone to go greek.
We extend the invitation to come see for yourself what Greek Row has to offer, because I know and will always say that it is the best way to live your college experience, build lifelong friendships and become a better person.
Timmy Cannon is the annotator of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
