The “Zag” spirit is something completely unique to Gonzaga University, but is a part of every student that attends. The motto, “Zags help Zags,” encompasses the culture of the campus and the charismatic nature of zags. With this in mind, the question comes into play regarding what communities, both academic and social, are accepted here.
The community as a whole at Gonzaga is welcoming and generous, especially in regards to friendships. I’ve never met another Zag who doesn’t want to hold the door open for you or make you feel like you belong when you walk into a class.
This tight-knit atmosphere created by Zags has little tolerance for social communities that offer exclusivity. I think a large part of the problem stems from Zags not wanting other Zags to feel as though they don’t belong at this school. Many students even chose to come to Gonzaga because they didn’t want to attend a University that offered either sororities or fraternities.
While there are some unaffiliated fraternities and sororities off campus that I can’t speak for, the one that I can is Alpha Kappa Psi, a co-ed professional business fraternity on campus.
The only affiliated fraternity within Gonzaga, there’s been controversy whether AKPsi should be able to hold a place on campus. It’s hard for me to put into words all the great aspects that come out of the organization as far as growth and development both personally and professionally. The one aspect that speaks to me though is the brotherhood.
Other Zags on campus that may have a perceived notion in their head of what AKPsi is and stands for, may not be aware of the process of recruitment or the values that each brother of the chapter lives out in their daily lives. The values of AKPsi coincide directly with the mission statement of Gonzaga University, the idea of developing the mind, body, and spirit in order to foster leaders of society.
Members of Alpha Kappa Psi still believe in the community that all Zags love and uphold. The reason the majority of students become brothers of AKPsi is to broaden this sense of community and gain relationships with individuals that while like-minded, are vastly diverse.
Alpha Kappa Psi is open to absolutely ANYONE. No matter your major or grade, the opportunity to recruit and become a member is laid out on the table. The exclusivity that may be perceived is because it takes a whole semester of recruitment to be able to call yourself a member of the brotherhood. This recruitment doesn’t exist to eliminate individuals, it exists to continue to develop a work ethic and the quality of commitment for our Zags.
It’s my hope that Zags who aren’t current members of AKPsi can see the good that comes from our chapter through my transparency. When we Zags graduate from Gonzaga, the hope will be to find a job in a workplace environment that fosters a community such as that we got to experience in our undergraduate study. AKPsi is just another aspect of that community. If AKPsi changed its name to not include an affiliation with Greek letters but kept the same core values, would there still be some Zags who questioned it’s involvement within the University?
RUSH AKPSI. IT SUITS YOU.
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