Expanded Family

Transcript

Zach came to Hanover as a two-sport athlete. He decided to give Greek life a try and found so much more than a campus activity. Zach, a double major in communication and business, unexpectedly found an expanded family. Tell us about Greek life’s impact on your life, Zach.

– Hey, Alex, thanks for the introduction. Being a first-generation college student, I didn’t know what look for or really even to expect when selecting where I wanted to go. Coming from a small high school and being an only child, I really liked the community Hanover had. From the moment I stepped foot on campus, I felt at home and ended up finding a second family I didn’t even know existed: Greek life. Coming into Hanover, my parents really wanted me to focus on my studies, and being a dual sport athlete already kind of worried them so you can imagine their thought when I said I might join a fraternity. At Hanover, great members supported me immediately. They helped me get a job on campus, and many of the members even offered to help me study considering that we shared majors for classes. Not only did I get better grades, I gained an entire brotherhood who have made my college experience unforgettable. Since Hanover has a deferred recruitment period, you have an entire semester before you’re eligible to join an organization. This allows interested students an opportunity to explore each Greek chapter. Our smaller pledge class is definitely make it easy to bond, but one of my favorite perks of being Greek is getting to live with my brothers. Living in the house has also brought some of my closest friends. From Run Night when we accept new members into our chapters to the first snow snowball fight of the year, traditions are rooted deep in Greek life here at Hanover, but my favorite tradition by far is Wiffle Ball and May Term. Not only do we get to compete against other chapters, unaffiliated students, and even our own brothers, we get to do it for a good cause. Philanthropy is important to our Greeks, annually hosting over 20 events for our local communities all the way to our nationally partnered nonprofits. Four years ago, I never imagined I’d learned so much from my brothers and call myself a fraternity member. Hanover hasn’t just taught me what community is, it’s proven what it means through brothers, sisters, friends, and family. That’s all for me, Alex, back to you.

– Thank you, Zach. There’s nothing quite like a large family. Hanover has four national fraternities and four sororities. These Greek organizations frequently come together in the name of charity, donating funds from initiatives ranging from dance, marathons, and football runs to the annual Wiffle Ball Tournament, which often features more than a hundred teams and has now been running for more than 30 years. Absolutely incredible, Zach, thank you for sharing your story.