Why did it take me till my junior year to join the MXI? by Andre Adeyemi ’12
T H E H E R E A N D N O W
No one likes to be branded. No one likes to be the sort of person who gets automatically put into a social group just because of who they are. I didn’t want to be ‘that guy’. You know the type: the guy who gravitates to the only thing he knows as a source of social protection unless it’s a social group endorsed by the masses. I had serious reservations about joining the MXI for this very reason. If my memory serves me well, it was paranoia or a chance to develop relations with those of the ‘white variety’. Either way, I avoided the MXI at all costs for the first two years of my time here at Wabash. Through a serious of fortunate events, I began to question the decision I made in avoiding what I perceived as a stereotype. By the end of my sophomore year I began to realize that the only people who really understood my personal struggles with identity were the like-minded people I have been avoiding for so long. Not to discount the wonderful relationships I’ve procured with my pledge/fraternity brothers, but the brotherhood of the MXI was something I have grown to love. To grow in the fellowship of those who look like me was a discovery I never thought would ever make me feel more at home in this Midwestern town. Being from a state where most people are Catholic and/or white while working as a page in the Rhode Island House of Representative for three years in high school left me deprived of the likeminded social interactions I have discovered here at Wabash. In all honestly, although I do not believe students who attend HBCU’s are any better off than students who attend traditional ‘white colleges’ I can now sympathize as to why a minority student might wish to attend such an institution. Here is my conclusion: A word to the wise: if the established stereotype convinces you to believe beyond the point of guilt, then, fuck the established stereotype. At the precipice of my guilt I began to realize that the only one I was hurting was myself. Why deny pleasure? If the MXI brothers had the ability to give me what my fraternity house could not, then why deny myself? If that second Sphinx Club Krispy Kreme donut is going to make your day, then, why not? Eat the damn thing because at the end of the day only you have to answer to yourself. My main point is not to go through life wishing you should have or could have but did not because of some petty reason. There was no reason why I couldn’t have brothers outside of my fraternity house. Limiting myself was my first mistake, pretending like I did not need to change was my second mistake, admitting my wrong canceled out my second mistake, and finally joining was my deliverance. Be all YOU can be, just not what someone thinks you should be.
Friendships, Leadership Opportunities, and Networking by Wes Chamblee ’12
30
Looking back at my Wabash College career, I have been extremely blessed to meet great friends, play on awesome athletic teams, and earn a first class education. However, as wonderful as I just made my experience seem, I can assure you that I didn’t always feel that way about Wabash. In fact, my parents ultimately convinced me to attend Wabash and avoid making the biggest mistake in my life. My dream had always been to attend Notre Dame, but I was not accepted. My plan was to transfer to Notre Dame after spending a year at IU South Bend. Even though my parents persuaded me from making the mistake of staying home, I was not completely sold on Wabash. My first semester was awful, I hated this place, and when I say I was homesick, I literally felt sick to my stomach because I wanted to be back home. I chose all my first year classes specifically with the motive of transferring to Notre Dame. Not only was I homesick, but also my commitments to football, the MXI, and most importantly my studies were extremely overwhelming.