A Letter from Patrick Lindley
Reflections on my First Semester
My name is Patrick Lindley, and I am a freshman at the University and a pledge at Triangle Fraternity. During the spring of 2004, I was rummaging through scholarship application forms at my high school, trying to dig up money wherever I could, when I found information on the Triangle Fraternity Scholarship. It sounded a little strange on paper, living at a fraternity house as an incoming freshman. The monetary benefits were clear, but I was a little apprehensive of the actual arrangement, given my ignorance of college and fraternity life. However, within a few months of filing the application, I was called up to the chapter for a visit during the summer session. During that visit, the men at the house answered many questions about school, classes, and living at the house. After the visit, I quickly accepted the scholarship upon their announcement of the award. I visited the house twice more during the summer, for orientation and all the preparations, and very anxiously looked forward to my move.
The actual move itself happened amazingly quickly. A few of the guys helped me get my stuff into my new room, and while I unpacked and situated myself, almost everyone in the house came by and introduced himself. It did end up taking me a week or so to get everyone’s name down, but I could tell straight off the bat that I had made some friends for life.
My progress through the semester seemed already to go a bit smoother than most of my classmates. The guys from the house were more than willing to help me with any homework or school questions, and they always kept me busy in the off-hours. I started setting up for dinner for credit towards my house bill, and started doing house jobs. By request of our chapter’s President, I signed on to help out with an IFC - Panhellenic event planning committee. By the time recruitment came along, I helped to tape up fliers, dragged classmates to the barbecues and recruitment events, and joined in when the members took some of these potential pledges out to dinner to answer questions and help them get to know a little more about the fraternity. I think that everyone was pleased with our final pledge class. I, myself, was heartened at the fact that I could make these contributions to the recruitment efforts.
I was shortly elected Pledge President, and tried to do more than my part to help out. Since I was around the house a substantial amount more than most of the pledges, I tried to send out emails listing the brotherhood events, different parties and gatherings, and sorority exchanges of each week. Our pledges’ excitement for Triangle is shown through their impressive attendance at these events, and their willingness to pitch in and help everyone have a great time.
I still have that excitement now, and optimism for future semesters. I plan on working more and more with the Interfraternity Council at UIUC, helping out the Greek community, and hopefully also finding new ways to help Triangle. In the future, I would like to hold various offices and responsibilities with the house, helping out where I can, hopefully even becoming President someday.
The dollars and cents of the scholarship mean almost nothing to me now. The lessons I have learned and the experiences I have had through Triangle are those that will last a lifetime. There is no way to measure the effect living at the fraternity house has had on my scholastic achievement, my social life, and my general character and well-being. I strongly encourage anyone interested to apply for the scholarship, that they might have a chance to receive the same opportunities that were given to me.
Patrick Lindley
Freshman, Electrical Engineering
Phone: (314) 440-1258
E-Mail: lindley2@uiuc.edu