After our second week we are still stuck at $54.00. We hope to improve this total over the remaining two weeks. Remember that every donation, no matter how small, is a great help toward our goal and in making the formative experiences that this chapter has to often more accessible.  

In other news, we have some exciting updates from the Mu Chapter’s activities. Yesterday, Sunday, September 17th, we voted on and passed out bids to our Autumn 2018 New Member Class. The new member class consists of fourteen freshmen and eight sophomores, all from unique and diverse backgrounds. Mu Chapter membership is extremely excited to see the these twenty-two individuals grow and develop not only professionally, but personally through the new member process over the next nine weeks. Many life-long friendships have been made forged between new members while engaging in this rigorous but fulfilling experience, and we are eager to welcome each new member into our Brotherhood.

    This second update is dedicated to the pillar of Service. Here are some words from senior, Noah Kuemerle, as he discusses his service experiences in the Columbus community through Alpha Kappa Psi:

"My involvement in service started at a young age. I started a chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at my high school, which focused on getting students more involved in the community by renovating public gardens, landscaping people’s houses, and volunteering at food pantries. As a freshman at OSU, I joined the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and took a position as Vice Chair of Leadership. I later moved on to Alpha Kappa Psi my sophomore year and earned the position of Community Outreach Chair. In AKPsi, I planned and attended events at the YWCA family center and the Ronald McDonald House here in Columbus.

My service experiences at YWCA were incredible. We went with groups of volunteers to interact with the children and families that needed some time to take their minds off the struggles of everyday life. We brought the kids outside, played with them, worked on coloring books, played board games, and made them laugh and smile. When we started the activities, the kids were normally very shy, but by the time we were ready to leave, they wouldn’t let us go. Their soft, timid smiles transitioned to hearty laughs, and then to sad frowns as we told them we’d be back in a few weeks. After a couple events, I was able to speak to a few of the parents who were so grateful for our commitment. These experiences not only humbled me, but they made me feel like what we were doing truly had a positive impact on the families at YWCA. That’s the best feeling in the world to me."

Thank you to everyone who has generously donated thus far to support our campaign. After one week we have raised $54.00. We know we can do much better! These donations will be integral in helping the Mu Chapter reach new heights as we strive to create a more inclusive environment in which none of our brothers are hindered by financial uncertainty as well as well as one that provides our current and future brothers with the same dear memories that so many of our alumni have made.

In the past week, Alpha Kappa Psi Fall Rush has gotten into full swing. An impressive 320 rushes came to our two info sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, the highest amount of which we know. The AU15 rush recorded 319. The rush effort has been spearheaded by VP of Membership Caroline Chick ‘19 and Recruitment Director Brad Herndon ‘20. They have received tremendous help from the marketing team led by VP of Strategic Marketing Camille Wyand ‘19. Our Service and Professional Rush events will be held Sunday September 8th and Monday the 9th, respectively, followed by three days of Rush Interviews. By this time next week we will be selecting our Fall Pledge Class!   

We wanted to dedicate this first update to the pillar of Brotherhood. Here are some words from senior, Greta Spiedl as she reflects on her time in AKPsi and the lifelong relationships that she has made:

"I joined AKPsi the fall of my sophomore year, and immediately became super involved. I became obsessed with the people, and as Social Chair last year and Fraternal Events Director this year, I have the privilege of helping to plan events that keep this incredible brotherhood alive. I truly think the brotherhood and the people in this particular chapter are what makes it so unique. The various events we have throughout the year allow brothers to build and maintain relationships with people outside of their core friend group which adds to the tight-knit culture we have developed here in the Mu Chapter. On campus we have game nights, chapter dinners, retreats every semester, date parties, football tailgates and so much more. Off campus we travel to nearby cities such as Chicago, Cincinnati, and Cleveland throughout the semester to visit our favorite alumni we are still close with. We have a formal every spring where we travel to a cool city and just all hang out with each other for the weekend.

It is truly amazing how often we see each other, and how much we all want to keep doing so. I know I want to spend the rest of my senior year with this group of amazing individuals who continue to push me out of my comfort zone. This brotherhood is truly for life. One of my brothers who graduated two years ago still reaches out to me every other day to see how I am doing. We have alumni come back all of the time for tailgates, our annual Yellow Rose Banquet, and even sometimes formal! The term brotherhood implies that we are a family, and that is truly exemplified in all the active and alumni members who continue to give back to each other and spend time fostering these relationships that do last a lifetime. I have loved every single person I have met and gotten to know through the connections this fraternity has given me and cannot imagine my college experience any differently."