Pledging Amidst a Pandemic

Written by Graham Meyer

Upon first glance, the APO pledging process was quite daunting. I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I decided to pledge, but the idea of making new friendships while doing something beneficial to the world sounded like a good use of my time. As Nick began going over the 45 interviews, the 50%, the 80%, formal interviews, the service hours, and the committee points, the idea of dropping had never seemed so appealing as it was at that moment. However, I forced myself to actually commit to the process and feel it out as I went, and needless to say, I’m really glad I made that decision.

One of the most valuable portions of the pledging process has been the brother interviews that pledges conduct over the semester. Every single brother I’ve had the opportunity to speak with has been a genuinely nice person, and that’s not something I can say about every organization I’ve been involved with on campus. The common passion of service for others attracts people with a real desire to see others succeed, and all of the pledges have felt this support over the semester. A common question I ask during brother interviews is “If you could go back to being a pledge, what is a piece of advice you wish someone had told you?”. A recurrent theme among many of the answers is to pursue and embrace the friendships you form with your pledge class. While this is a bit more challenging during a pandemic, my pledge class has really enjoyed getting to know each other, and hopefully we have more opportunities to continue this as the pledging semester comes to an end.