Fall 2004 Presidential Letter - Mark Bucheit
Welcome and thanks for visiting the Illinois Chapter of Triangle online. My name is Mark Bucheit; I am a senior in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Illinois. The University has afforded me countless opportunities for growth, most notably the chance to be a part of Triangle Fraternity. I’ve also been fortunate enough to acquire my current summer job in London. It’s a great experience, but as I write this letter from my flat, I can’t help but miss my home at Triangle.
It seems like such a long time ago that I was only a freshman in a big college town. I lived at Hendrick House, a private housing complex conveniently located near the engineering quad. Despite the great location, it was never my home. I still felt far away from the engineering world. In class I dreamed of designing cars, and after class I came home and researched the newest models. This was all okay at the time, because no one at Hendrick House wanted to make friends - they just wanted to do homework and play online games. When I broke up with my high school girlfriend, I had to make an effort to find something different so I decided to explore the University. I rushed different houses and checked out several clubs.
At a car club I met a short guy named Ben who took me for a ride in his impressive Honda Prelude. Eventually, he brought me back to an informal recruitment event at his "engineering fraternity" with free tacos. It seemed intimidating but I kept an open mind. What I found at Triangle was very different from the other houses I visited. It was a bunch of guys that all had hobbies besides drinking. That first night I learned how to reprogram a car ECU and got a little insight on girls from an elder. Now I am the President of Triangle Fraternity and I can’t imagine myself feeling more satisfied with my life.
It's really difficult to explain the impact fraternity life can make. Especially in a smaller house like ours, a great deal of responsibility is placed on every member. We study together, we clean, cook, pay our own bills, and plan events for charity. When you meet me you can see the confidence and friendliness I've acquired. If nothing else I can say that fraternity life makes a huge campus much smaller. With 40 brothers and all of their friends and girlfriends, I really know people everywhere I go. So what if I hadn't come for tacos? I don't even like to think about that any more.
My best,
Mark