By Thomas Moran | Staff Writer
Baylor’s Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity is officially back on campus as of Saturday evening when the chapter held its New Member Presentation to welcome its new pledges.
Because the Xi Sigma chapter was off campus for five years, they had no current Baylor members to lead the induction.
Houston sophomore Joel Trahan, one of the new pledges, said his class was brought in by the Killeen-Ford Hood alumni chapter.
“We are kind of the revival line, the new line on campus, starting from nothing pretty much and trying to bring something new back to campus,” Trahan said. “This year we have eight members.”
Of the eight new members, four are sophomores and four are seniors.
“The fraternity bases all of its work off of achievement,” Trahan said. “So our motto is ‘achievement in every field of human endeavor.’ So that means whether it is school or work, you want to be the best you can be. If you’re a janitor, be the best janitor you can be. If you’re a CEO, be the best CEO you can be.”
When Trahan came to Baylor, he looked for organizations that would push him towards achievement.
“I always thought of myself as an achiever and, because Kappa Alpha Psi was in the situation it was in, I realized it was something that I could help usher in and bring more people just like me to a bond that is held through high standards,” Trahan said.
After the intake process, in which potential members learn more about the fraternity, its founders and its history, new members partake in the New Member Presentation, Trahan said. They walk in with masks on, which are then removed and attendees get to see who has been inducted into the fraternity.
“It’s kind of like a big reveal about who is going to be in the organization,” Trahan said. “It’s so much fun. We get to learn dances and stuff like that. It’s a big show.”
Mobile, Ala., sophomore Everett Coleman is the new polemarch of the organization, a role much like the president position in other organizations.
“I oversee all business and speak as the voice of the fraternity,” Coleman said. “Being in Kappa Alpha Psi really means that we are men of achievement. Being a part of the revival line is really an honor because the people who chose us to be on this line, really thought that we were fit enough to set a legacy.”
