By Hunter Obeid ’17 | Alpha Delta Grand Master
The first month of fall semester has proven to be full of challenges and adversity for the Alpha Delta Chapter of Kappa Sigma. We were beyond thrilled to be leaving our previous location to move into a much larger residency.
We expected a larger than normal rush turnout because in the past our lack of traditional housing was a hurdle for us to overcome with rushes. Every brother was enthusiastic and prepared to sacrifice time and energy to make this year’s rush historic.
I am proud to announce that we have a strong class of 27 pledges, which is the largest class since recolonization. We moved into our new house on 420 East Prospect Avenue, previously occupied by the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity, not realizing how many obstacles we would have to overcome before focusing on growing as a chapter.
After losing its rental license, the Zeta Alumni Corporation of Kappa Delta Rho needed to concur to a consent agreement with the Borough of State College in order to rent out the house. This put many restrictions on us as their tenants. As the representative for our fraternity to the State College Borough, I make sure our brothers are keeping up with a corrective action plan imposed on the Zeta Alumni Corporation.
Our brothers will be attending educational seminars, which include topics such as recycling and the protocol for trash removal. Serving as the representative for Alpha Delta, I have developed a community service/neighborhood outreach plan for the chapter that includes inviting neighbors over for a meal, helping with their lawns and yard work, and just getting to know our neighbors. I believe that being forced to deal with these restrictions will help us solidify our relationship with the borough and help us in the future.
After my first meeting with the borough, my focus has shifted to working with our newest pledge class to integrate them into Greek life at Penn State. One of the first things they will learn about is the Interfraternity/Panhellenic Dance Marathon that we participate in. In our first canning trip we raised just over $20,600 with the sisters of Gamma Sigma Sigma. It is still early in the year, but much of our hard work has paid off and I see the beginning of a new era for Alpha Delta – one with extensive community involvement and rapidly growing brotherhood.