Chris Freeman

Here it is, my first mention of my fraternity! My active years were extremely colorful and they had a lot of ups and downs. There were those that were more interested in getting work done than establishing a lasting friendship. There were people who were just interested in being seated in positions of power. There were plenty of people there for the wrong reasons.

Chris Freeman is the guy who rushed me and convinced me to pledge. There are many people who could not have done that as I was kind of disillusioned about fraternities (see entry: Joe Mess). However, Freeman seemed like a standup great guy right from the start and I was sold.

Throughout the years, he exemplified my feelings on brotherhood; you're here to be friends, to accept, to understand. Not to judge, force people to do things, and crucify them for mistakes. Chris stayed out of the upper tiers of the political structure but he was always one of the people I respected most and one of my best friends. People went to him for advice anyway. I found that at the end of my senior year, even without a position on the board, newer members came to me the same way I'd gone to Freeman and I was more proud of that than having any position I could have held.

Now that I've graduated, I maintain those friendships even from a distance and I think my theory on brotherhood has been proven. The politics, the status, the business; none of that matters after you graduate, it's just about the bonds you formed while you were there and Freeman is still one of my best friends.