by Abhishek “Abe” Basnet
Zenophilia (Xenophilia), or love of the outsider. Also a core tenet of the Delta Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau here at Centre.
So far into my time at Centre, I’ve had times when I felt like an outsider who simply didn’t belong. The American landscape can feel very daunting to navigate as an international student (especially as someone who is plagued by homesickness so often). Then, there are the added nuances of studying in a small, southern town that complicate the matter even more.
If I am being honest, Greek life was never on my radar. Its portrayal in popular media as “cult-like” and “homogenous” didn’t help cement its perception in my mind either. At best, I was ambivalent towards it. What changed my mind was actively interacting with the folks of the wider Greek Life community on a daily basis, whether it be in classes or in events. It made me realize that many of my assumptions had been based on ignorance. Going to the various Greek events, both closed and open, made me realize that maybe I did have a place in Greek life after all.
The recruitment process spanned from Feb. 5 (Wednesday) to Feb. 8 (Saturday). The first day saw us prospective associates attend pitch presentations by all the fraternities. On the second and third day, we visited and stayed at various fraternity houses while interacting with the brothers there. Personally, I had a terrific time at the Phi Tau and Beta houses. Many insightful conversations and awkward handshakes were made at this stage (I distinctly remember a conversation where we went from talking about the uniqueness of a CS and International Studies double major to ranking former American presidents). This all eventually culminated in us making our top three picks. We would then get our bids the next day around 12 PM.
On Saturday, I opened my envelope to find a bid from Phi Kappa Tau and made my way onto Ewen Room with the other associates. Before we made it to our specific fraternity house, we first had to run the hill. If you didn’t know what running the hill was, then I have your back. Every associate has to run the distance from Campus Centre to Old Centre, where brothers of that specific fraternity await them. Trust me when I say that I’d severely underestimated the distance. When I finally embraced my brothers at the end of it, I was out of breath. My only solace is that I was fourth in the race.
From there, it was a short journey to the PKT house, and then came the post-recruitment frenzy of meetings and the general initiation process. The month of February was certainly a busy month due to these commitments but fruitful nonetheless. So far, I’ve been enjoying it all.
I am certainly grateful for my brothers at PKT. From their core tenet alone, it is very evident that PKT strives to be as inclusive as possible, and for an “outsider” like me? You best believe it that I’ve found a second home. Here, I am surrounded by brothers from all over the US from different backgrounds and beliefs who are all ultimately striving to become better individuals. There is great unity in our diversity as I see and identify myself in them. Many brothers here are on scholarship, mostly Grissom or Posse, and are also POC like me. In them, I also see future engineers, physicists, businessmen, and social scientists who want to give back to their immediate communities and to the wider world. And that means the world to me.
With that being said, is rushing for everyone? It’s up to you! There is no correct answer. Regardless of whether you rush or not, you will still be encountering the presence of Greek Life on campus. Many of your existing or future friends might be in a fraternity/sorority. All I can say is have an open mind.