Connecting to a commuter campus through Greek life

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Ron Frank
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Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a joint campus of the two main campuses previously stated. Better known as IUPUI, this unique campus is located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. When I first came to IUPUI, I did not know what my campus had to offer me but I discovered a connection through a Greek organization. Being a commuter school, IUPUI has a different approach to Greek life than many campuses. I have found it to be very rewarding.

At IUPUI there is no on-campus housing for fraternity and sorority life. This can make recruitment more difficult. But what I first saw as something that could hurt us in the long run turned out to benefit our student organization more than I ever expected. Without the close knit connection of those schools with campus housing, we have to go out of our comfort zone and put ourselves out there in order to survive. This has pushed us to work harder and learn to overcome difficulties.

It also provides us with a better group of guys to pick from. Because of the geographical difficulties, any student that is interested in what Greek life has to offer has to make a stronger commitment than they may have had to at another campus. This commitment is what has turned an on-campus organization into a true brotherhood producing friends that will last a lifetime. 

When it comes to starting college, it is nothing but a bunch of unknowns. When I was new to campus, it was up to me to get out there and see what I could do for my campus. While it is both as exciting and scary as it looks on the surface, this is the time of your life to figure out what you want out of life. No one else can decide that; it is up to you to discover it for yourself. If you develop that mindset, any organization that you put yourself into will pay you back tenfold over whatever you expected. No matter what type of campus you attend, I encourage you to check out the opportunities of Greek life. You might just discover more opportunities than you could ever imagine.