Brothers and sisters

The campus is still reeling from the devastating news of James Patell’s tragic death on Sunday. Without a doubt, the men of Beta Theta Pi fraternity have been hit harder by his passing than anyone else at LMU. I saw the Betas as they stood together and mourned as one strong and resolute unit. This comes as no surprise knowing the nature of their brotherhood.

What has surprised me this past week is the reaction and support of the entire campus, especially the Greek community. I can’t say I ever really bought into the mantra of interfraternalism. I had always thought it to be a weak cover-up of the underlying antagonism stereotypically inherent in Greek Life.

All of that changed once tragedy struck on Sunday night.

I was hit with this sickening feeling that only emerges at times when you know the happenings of the moment hold a frightening weight on the lives of others. It physically hurt me when I tried to grasp what the Betas must have been going through at that moment – all that they’d be going through for the rest of the year. It hurt me to think that anyone would have to endure the nightmare of losing his fraternity brother or her sorority sister.

All my misgivings about interfraternalism disappeared when the first thought that popped into my head wasn’t “Oh, that’s too bad,” or “I’m glad I’m not in their shoes,” but rather, “I wonder if there is anything I can do to help.”

That was it. That was the defining moment that pushed the truth about our extraordinary Greek community out from my subconscious and straight into the center of my brain. I didn’t see James Patell as just a guy from another fraternity. I saw him as a member of my extended family.

On Monday, Greek Council President Erin Gonsalves called for the entire Greek community to come together to “be the ultimate support system for each other.” She and over 1,000 other students on this campus had the same thought that I did – “What can I do to help?”

I know that if I were in the shoes of any of the Betas, they would not hesitate to rise up and support my brothers and me in our time of need. The Greek Council has organized Thursday to be a day of remembrance, complete with pink and blue ribbons symbolizing our support of our friends in Beta Theta Pi.

The nature of interfraternalism at LMU is what separates our Greek community from our counterparts at other universities. At the core of nearly every person who has dedicated themselves to one of the 15 recognized organizations on this campus is a special sense of empathy and love. Greek Council and the folks in Student Leadership & Development made it a goal to mold this community into one that truly cares for each other. I think what has occurred this week signifies that they have accomplished something very special.

Again, I’m not typically one who likes to “drink the Kool-Aid” on things like this, but I can’t deny the exceptional nature of our Greek Community. We are all so very different and sometimes we have our squabbles, but deep down there is a love we all share for each other and for everyone at LMU. We laugh in the face of generalizing stereotypes. We are the Lions that we ought to be.

In Alpha Delta Gamma, we explain brotherhood using the analogy of individual bricks that form a city wall. While the end result is a formidable structure, so much depends on the support of each and every member – one hole, and the entire thing is in danger of falling apart. When a brick goes missing, it’s up to everyone to come together and reinforce it. We are at our strongest when our peers come to our aid in our time of need.
That’s exactly what has happened this week. In a time of tragedy, this resilient group of students has never been stronger.

This is the opinion of Robert Montenegro, a junior English major from Castaic, Calif. Please send comments to jmartinez@theloyolan.com.