Collegiate Connection: I Wish I’d Known by Jenny Smith

I Wish I’d Known

Collegiates today probably join Mu Phi Epsilon for the same reasons I did in 2003. I wanted to give back to the school and the community with fellow musicians. Little did I know how much more was to come.

In college, I isolated a lot my first year. My Fraternity Big (sister) made me gifts and helped me feel welcomed. That she cared made me feel special. College students today: Don’t take this for granted. You never know how much one small, caring act may mean to someone.

As chapter vice president (VP) for two years, my responsibility was recruitment. VPs present and train new members, often after a looooooong day of school, rehearsals and performances, and activities. Today, I ask chapters how the VP manages their task. You, readers, might want to see how you can help your VP because a lot is on their shoulders.

During graduate school, I affiliated with my same collegiate chapter and am grateful our guidelines allow this. I needed that family for another year (thank you Phi Xi!). Mu Phi leadership wants to keep graduates connected, but it can be challenging. Remember this: Mu Phi Epsilon is stronger with you firmly attached to our thread.

After graduate school, I transitioned to my local Alumni chapter. I knew no one. Making new connections was daunting, particularly because my collegiate chapter was so close-knit. I soon found that Alumni members cultivated that same sense of belonging I felt as a collegiate, so I set out to make new knots on my thread. Soon I found we had plenty in common.

My leadership roles as a chapter officer, District Director (DD) and on the International Executive Board (IEB) have been beneficial for my career and were far more attainable than I could have imagined. Those willing to work and want to help the Fraternity can grow through a leadership role within Mu Phi. The work of each DD has a more-than exponential effect, and our Fraternity needs more people eager to guide chapters as DDs as we begin the triennium. As a collegiate, I wish I’d known how much the Fraternity benefits from individuals stepping up.

Serving on the IEB can be intense. As we face difficult decisions in preparation for our future, bravery, and boldness is needed. We debate about dollars and policy, but in the end, we decide together what’s better for the Fraternity.

You see, that thread that ties all members together never disappears. It’s always there to grab onto to help navigate stormy times. If you stay the course beyond graduation, the people connected to you through Mu Phi will continue to weave their way through your life, as they did in college, so much so that you cannot imagine life without them.

In a blink, my time as 2nd VP has come to a close. I’m counting on you, leaders of today and the future: Our Fraternity depends on you to keep building and weaving these threads. I am “Mu Phi for Life,” which means I will always be connected to Mu Phi — in big and small ways. That’s what I wish I had known when I joined Mu Phi Epsilon.