“Not a day goes by that I don’t talk to one of my Brothers” explains Scott Jackson (Phi-Beta, ‘97). His sentiment was meant to refer to the men he’d gone through initiation and graduation with, but it is now more closely related to the men he physically sees each week.
As the High Pi for the University of Louisville chapter, Jackson spends most of his free time in the car. The commitment to serving his local chapter comes at the cost of an hour and a half drive from his home in Kentucky. The plea to have a High Pi was a no-brainer for Jackson, until he realized that the commitment was much bigger than he’d originally anticipated.
“I went to my first meeting and realized that this is a lot more than just going to one meeting a month. I found myself, over the next 10 years, making the trip at least once a week. I had a buddy calculate that I had driven around earth twice. It’s over a three hour round trip” says Jackson.
At the time, he only had one child and arriving home well into the morning wasn’t an issue. That changed as the years went on as he continued to grow his family, both blood and Brotherhood. Now, with three kids, making the time to attend meetings and individually checking-in with members has become a practice that continually takes sacrifice. That sacrifice is realized when a wedding invitation from his original undergraduate class comes in the mail.
The personal connection that Jackson draws from his undergraduates at the University of Louisville is often set aside as he attends frequent meetings with the Grand High Zeta. As the Grand High Gamma, Jackson explains that his role in those shoes is not to think about his alma mater or the individual chapter he serves, but to think about the Fraternity as a whole.
Jackson explains, “I’m on the governing board, this is more 15,000 feet level. We have to look at decisions that we’re making affect Lambda Chi Alpha not just a month from now, but a decade from now.”
A decade from now, Jackson wants the men of Lambda Chi Alpha to continue to stand out amongst their peers and become a living example of honor and integrity. As he continues to pursue that mission with his local chapter, the role of Grand High Gamma requests that he considers the bigger picture.
While his decision to dive headfirst into his Fraternity has had a deep impact on his life, Jackson wants others to know that getting involved is easier than one might think. Becoming a High Pi or serving on the Grand High Zeta is honorable but offering a helping hand does more for the undergraduates than they know.
“There are so many levels of which you can volunteer within Lambda Chi Alpha. You can help us in your field of business or study. If you’re an accountant, you can offer to help our Tau set up a budget. If you’re a teacher, you can come in with a Kappa and walk them through setting up a ZAX session. You don’t have to volunteer at the Pi level to be a massive help to the chapter/colony.”
Never miss a post! Subscribe to our email mailing list!
