Multimodal Project Final Draft

Joining a Greek organization at Texas Tech has provided the speaker with a support group, opportunities for leadership roles, and connections with alumni. They believe it was the right decision for them and have had a positive experience overall. They also wanted to explore the pros and cons of joining Greek life, so they interviewed someone who did not join a fraternity. This person mentioned that financial reasons and academic concerns deterred them from joining, but they believe they could find a group that fits their personality. They suggested that fraternities could improve their outreach efforts. The speaker then interviewed a fraternity member who shared similar experiences of brotherhood and camaraderie. They mentioned that Greek life has had a positive impact socially and allowed them to meet people from different backgrounds. Overall, both individuals had positive views on Greek life at Texas Tech. Alrighty, so today we're going to be talking about why you should join Greek life here at Texas Tech. I'm going to give a brief introduction on my personal experience and why I joined and then I'm going to be interviewing Carson who is not in a fraternity and Ty who is in my fraternity just to try and get different outlooks, different point of views on the subject. So when I got to Texas Tech, I had a lot of people in my life influencing me to be a part of a Greek organization. This kind of prompted me to look further into it last spring semester. After looking more into it, I decided that this was the right choice for me and I ended up rushing a fraternity here, Phi Kappa Psi. Looking back, I can confidently say that this was the right decision for me. It has provided me with experiences and opportunities that I would not have otherwise. This is not without its downfalls, which is why I wanted to explore the question, what are the pros of making it worth joining? What are the cons that would deter a student from joining? My experience, just to give a brief summary of what it's offered me, has been nothing short of amazing. It has offered me a support group that I can depend on in times of need. There's been multiple examples where I've been struggling with life, whether that be financially, mentally, or even physically, where my brothers have came and helped me out. It has also allowed me to surround myself with a lot of like-minded individuals that have helped me prosper with the goals I've set for myself. Through this, it inspired me to take leadership roles within the fraternity. Last fall, I was appointed Brotherhood Chair, basically that gives me the responsibility of organizing brotherhood events, which are all-guy events within the fraternity that just kind of allow us to connect with each other and strengthen the bonds between us. This year, I was appointed Sergeant of Arms as well as Housing Chair. Through Sergeant of Arms, my responsibility is making sure everyone's safe and behaving at our events. It has taught me responsibility over others, as well as patience in dealing with people. Housing Chair, my responsibility is basically just keeping maintenance with the fraternity lodge. The lodge is a place that we have where we can gather as brothers and also throw events. It has taught me valuable skills and trades, working with my hands, and the brothers have been nothing short of helpful, assisting me in learning new skills or manual labor. Through these positions, I've been able to connect with alumni as well within our fraternity. These connections and successful people in the real world allow that much more of a support group. If I'm having issues with something and needing advice that one of my peers cannot help me with, I do know that I can reach out to older alumni and find the answers. So with that being said, my experience has been great, but I kind of wanted to get the outlook of other people. So we'll start first with Carson. Carson, you can introduce yourself real quick. Hello, my name's Carson, and I'm a third year student here at Tech, and yeah, I decided to not join a fraternity my freshman year. Alrighty, Carson. So when you first got here to Tech that first semester of freshman year, were you approached or talked to about Greek life by anybody? No, but to be fair, me and my buddies, everyone around the campus has been kind of around it, but the only time I said I was approached by it was my buddy's cousin at the time was a sophomore, I believe, and he was hyped, and he was trying to convince us to get into it. So we thought about it, but ultimately we didn't decide on it. No, I got you, I got you. So what were your first impressions of Greek life? What did you have an understanding of with how everything works when you first got here to Tech? So I didn't know a whole lot when I first got here. I learned a lot just from, I guess, my buddy's cousin, and then my roommate actually agreed. His sister was in, and we would try it out whenever she was here at Tech, and so I knew a little bit from her as well. So, like before I even got to Tech, what I knew about Greek life is obviously the big parties that always make their own and whatnot, and I knew about Russian influential, as in kind of what to expect that came along with it, and that was really mostly what I knew at the time before I got here. Okay. Was there anything appealing about Greek life to you that freshman year that maybe intrigued you or made you look in more into it to rush? Yeah, for sure. I would say, obviously, just like the brothership, and then I noticed there, obviously, I see it on YouTube, and that intrigued me just coming from playing sports, so I always had like a team, so to speak. For sure. I noticed that that intrigued me, and then, you know, of course, this freshman year, just while I'm, you know, first year out of the house on your own, I just wanted to party, and so that, as well. Interesting. Yeah, for sure, for sure. Was there anything that deterred you from Greek life, like maybe anything that you had heard or known about Greek life that maybe just kind of turned you off of the idea of Russian? I mean, everybody hears the bad friendship stories, but that, honestly, was not what deterred me. What deterred me was from, if I was in a joint fraternity, I was probably going to have to pay for it on my own, most likely, and at the time, I was taking 15 or 16 hours freshman year, and so Russian, at the time, I wouldn't have any time. I would struggle academically, so that, ultimately, those two reasons came down to why I was in a joint. For sure, so like financial reasons, which I completely get. I've had my financial struggles, myself, paying for my dues and stuff, and academic reasons, so I think those are both very valid. Next question is, do you feel as though, like, if you wanted to join an organization, you would be able to maybe find one that fits, like fits your personality, maybe where you can have like-minded people surrounding you? No, yeah, for sure. I'm sure there's definitely one. There's probably one of y'alls. There's probably one of y'alls. I mean, I like both of y'alls. I like both of my friends. So, yeah, I have the confidence I could find a friend. I don't know. I'd like... Yeah, and just, you feel like you'd be confident in just finding that maybe, like, word of mouth, and just, like, people that you know that are involved? Oh, yeah, for sure. If, like, for... So, just to say, like, at the time, I was in the same grade, and I was in a greater building, and then we got here the same year, and then I would've heard about it from him, and then, yeah, I think I would've been able to sit in this position, right? For sure, for sure. So, do you think fraternities could do a better job during that recruitment phase, and maybe reaching out to people, and just the organization as a whole making it more appealing to people? I mean, there's already events and everything that teenagers can go to and whatnot, but I would say probably the only thing I would probably do that would be better for fraternities that could be better at... I guess you could say, like, door-to-door salesmen go to, like, other dorms and just hand out flyers, possibly, or... Yeah, for sure. Something along those lines, I guess. But other than that, I mean, we all... It's pretty much well-known, and if someone wants to go to those events, I feel like they should, you know, it's pretty well-known, they could go. Yeah, so the appeal is there, but you think we could do a better job at, like, out-the-outreach and maybe informing people? Sure, just on that one thing, I guess. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Okay, so now we're going to get into... I have some questions for you, Ty, if you would just like to briefly introduce yourself. Yeah, what's up? So, my name's Ty Shercliff. I'm a sophomore here at Tech right now. I'm currently studying business management, and I am also a member of Buckeye Sun. Nice, nice. So, I kind of briefly shared my experience with the fraternity, you know, just the brotherhood it has given me, the roles of responsibility that it has allowed me to step into, and the connections and stuff. Do you think you felt the same, and do you think you could expand on that based off your experience? Yeah, totally. Like Carson said, like, it's coming from a team, playing sports. I played baseball in college, and I realized how that feels, and that camaraderie you have with those boys on that team. And I transferred to Tech my spring semester in 2023, and I definitely felt like I was still looking for that. And I heard from my roommate, who is also with Buckeye right now, currently, and he lives in Rodeo. He told me about Buckeye, and he got me into going to all the events, and I fell in love with it, and I think it was a good choice. Nice. So, I know you said that your roommate, who I also know, Rich, he's the one who kind of got you into it, but what made you join Phi Psi? Was it just Rich, or were there other things that were appealing that made you go that route? I would say I was pretty much hooked from the first event I went to, not only because of the training there, but it gave me just, like, getting to meet all the guys, how down on earth they were, and I would say that was the bottom of the sleeve, I guess. Yeah, so just, you felt like you found some guys that maybe match your vibe, and are like-minded, and what they want to do with life? Would you say that's accurate? Yeah. Okay. How has Greek life impacted your life as a student here at Texas Tech? So, socially, academically, and financially? Socially, it is at the peak of my life. I've never really found this many people at one school. I was a military kid growing up, I know a lot of people across Texas, but getting to meet people in the fraternity from all over, and even outside of the state, it's just been awesome. Yeah, for sure. So, I have some statistics here that I would like to read, and I was just wanting to know if you believe, with your experience, that that's accurate. So, according to nickfraternity.org, research found that first to second year retention among students that are in sororities or fraternities hit 93%, compared to the 82% of non-members. Similar studies show that members are 20% more likely to graduate, which is critical as men are attending college and graduating with less frequency in the past. So, basically, off of those statistics, it's saying that if you're in a fraternity, you're more likely to see college through. So, to not drop that first and second year, and to reach the end goal for everybody, which is graduation. With your experience, do you believe that those statistics are accurate or inaccurate? I do, I do. I see, from our personal aspect, the brotherhood that you gain from it. So, if you want to really stick it through, those guys are pushing each other to continue to graduate. And I feel like someone who maybe just isn't as involved, saying they're not a very self-motivated person, and they decided to not join a social club like you would be calling it, I would say their chance of graduating would be slightly less accurate to go through with it. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So, within Phi Psi, in terms of academic goals, do you feel like the fraternity itself has given you maybe resources or support in achieving your academic goals? I would definitely agree so, that they have helped. But I would say more so when you're in flesh shift only. No one's really checking up on you when you're initiated, when you're inactive. So, you're kind of a grown man at that point, and you really need to have those traits embedded in you during flesh shift that we were learning. And I think that Phi Psi did a great job of doing that. So, expanding on that, what are some examples in terms of the support and resources during your experience as a pledge for Phi Psi that maybe helped motivate you or helped get you to your academic goals? So, mandatory grade shifts is one thing. It's huge. You've got to push me for that next shift. I've got to keep this up. I've got to keep this up. It pushed me. I was a planner as well. It really set everything up for me as busy as I was in the flesh shift. And it let me know I needed to get done, and I could look back whenever and just have that plan set in stone. Other than that, there were times where we would all meet up in the flesh class and study and get homework done. And at that level, I knocked out all my homework almost every session we had. Yeah, that's awesome. So, between the actives helping you plan your schedule and your weekly schedules and day-to-day, the study time that you and your flesh class got, which I'm sure allowed you all to bond, as well as the grade checks just kind of motivating you, and having somebody hold you accountable, you felt like that kept you on track academically? Yeah, definitely. Definitely. 100%. So, I have another statistic here that I was wanting to get your two cents on. According to HinchingerReport.org, more than half of fraternity and sorority alumni said that they had a job immediately after or within two months of graduating college, compared to only 30% of unaffiliated college graduates being able to find that job immediately after or within that two-month mark. Do you feel as though Phi Psi has provided you connections to where you're confident that moving forward in life after college, you'll be able to secure a job that you want? Yeah, 100%. And I would say that I'm living proof of that through our alumni networking program. We have scheduled calls where, I mean, it's networking day-to-day. Like, you're meeting people, and it's not about what you know, it's who you know. And that's the best way to do that is by joining a fraternity, I would say. And yeah, the connections have definitely been there. My mentor actually helped secure me my first summer internship. Yeah, that's awesome. So, but then Phi Psi, have you had the opportunity to step into leadership roles? Yes, I have sorority relations. So, basically all that I did, I was in charge of communicating with the sororities and getting their pledges to meet up with our pledges and basically have what is called a mixer. And just some activities, like our last one we did was like a bonfire and s'mores. And all the girls and all the guys were just together and doing that. It was a great time. So, I'm basically the overseer of that. And every relationship you need to have with a sorority. How do you think that has helped you, not helped the fraternity, but helped you as a person, even leaving the fraternity later in life? Generally, just talking to people. Like, knowing how to talk to people and just be able to make that connection with someone. And really getting people like you to help influence the decision. And that's a path I should keep for being a sorority as well. Because that's definitely a huge thing for me. So, just community outreach and communication. Yeah. Okay. So, what would you say to somebody that's maybe on the fence about looking into a fraternity? Maybe some advice you can give them to see if it is right for them or not. I would say, just do it, man. And if it isn't for you and you end up just like that, there's nothing wrong with that. Perfectly fine. There's nothing against that. If you don't end up like that, you can leave. You don't have to stay in the fraternity. No one will hate you or disrespect you for it. It's just your decision. But I would say give it a shot. Okay. So, with that being said, I just kind of wanted to go back to Corson after you were able to hear all of that. After hearing kind of myself and Ty's experience within the fraternity, has it maybe changed your mind in looking into joining one? Oh, yeah. I mean, he gave me some good insights. I mean, as well as you. But, like his point of view, his perspective as in networking and staying on those connections. And he mentioned his mentor just got him his first summer internship. That's pretty incredible. That's great. I mean, so that would have been something that I would have, you know, so that networking, by hiring him that maybe would have been more so in depth before that might have helped intrigue me. And I would have, that would have been on my plate. I would have decided whether or not to join a fraternity. Yeah, for sure. So, if you were to join one right now, what would be some things like within the fraternity that you would look for that appeal to you, that would kind of help you make that decision to go with this fraternity over another one? Yeah, for sure. I would look into, I guess you could say, core values that each fraternity would have, I guess, set for them and expectations and what standards are set for them. That's what I would look into. Maybe see if the fraternity is too big or if I wanted to join, let's say, a smaller frat. So, I would look up, try to see the size and whatnot. So, those would probably be most of the things I would look into. Yeah. And join a frat. For sure. And if you had to give the listener advice from somebody who is a non-member at Tech on whether or not they should join the fraternity, what kind of advice would you give them to kind of help them be confident in making that decision? Think about it. Sleep on it. Sleep on it. Don't try to make a decision right then and there. So, definitely sleep on it. Maybe take a couple of days. Because, I mean, this isn't so long before rushing starts anyhow. So, there's no, I guess, rush, so to speak, in your decision. And Ty's advice was great. So, I would have to back him on that when he said join it. And if you don't like it and there's nothing wrong with that, then you can leave and that's your own choice. So, I would say, yeah, just sleep on it. For sure, guys. Well, I appreciate getting both of y'all's perspective. And it was a pleasure talking to y'all. Thank you, guys.