In the wake of the terrible tragedy for the U.S., our campus took time to reflect on our lives and the state of our nation last week. As greeks on this campus, we came out in force and showed our coordination as a group of young people committed to the values of our respective organizations, all under the common value of patriotism. Donations of blood, candle vigils, and greeks wearing ribbons on their letters, showed that our community strongly supports the other students at Rensselaer and the citizens of the area in our shared sympathy, spirit, and compassion for one another. Please, as brother and sister greeks, take a moment to check on others.
I don’t just mean the members of your own fraternity or sorority, but the students around you, greek and non-greek alike. Let our spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood serve as inspiration in these times of desperation and sorrow. Continue to support this campus and your fellow students in any way you can. In addition, I suggest you all make sure that your chapters recognize any members of your organizations who fell victim to the terrorists’ attacks. Let us remember that our bonds go far beyond Rensselaer, into the world which is now troubled by these events.
But life will continue. Our chapter meetings will still occur, and Rush will continue. We will still give out bids, and classes will still be in session (I know, I know...). Now is the time to push towards the end of recruitment, and continue with the goals we have set out as chapters and as a greek community. We must think beyond the sadness of last week and move on with our letters shown proudly, because the demands of our fraternal responsibilities are still part of our lives. I’m not asking you to forget what has happened, but to pay your respects and sympathies and at the same time remember that if life does not continue, then terrorism was successful.
I wish all the fraternities and sororities on campus the very best and hope that your recruitment efforts of the past month have been successful. Please be respectful of each other on bid night and keep the "playing ground" even for all our organizations, because a fair Rush is an honorable Rush. We are all part of a larger community with common values, and it is important that we keep those values in mind as we conduct our lives. May all your bids be signed.
