Frequently Asked Questions about The Lodge
Q: What is "The Lodge?"
The Lodge is an all-male, non-residential social group that primarily focuses on fostering gentlemanly behavior and upholding the values promulgated by Chi Psi national fraternity.
Q: So you are a fraternity?
Yes. However, we should very quickly point out that our fraternity most likely does not fit the popular stereotypes you may have heard by now. If you keep reading, you will see why.
Q: Is there a rushing (recruitment) and a pledging process?
Yes. Our recruitment period lasts three weeks and is conducted twice each year, once in the fall and once in the spring. The emphasis throughout this process is on individual brother-to-rushee interaction. Although you're certainly invited to partake in our parties we are primarily concerned with getting to know you and finding out who you are.
Our Pledging process lasts six weeks but is not nearly as time-consuming as it may sound. The main idea during pledging is for you to get to fully meet and experience the brotherhood you are about to join as well as form meaningful bonds of friendship with your fellow pledge brothers.
Q: I have a very busy lifestyle and I'm really not sure if there is room in my life for a fraternity.
That's a valid point. The best response we can give you is that there are various levels of involvement. Some of our brothers are too busy with other campus organizations to take on officer positions in the brotherhood - yet they've come to find that squeezing in a party or two from time to time or a semi-formal in the middle of the semester is not as impossible as it may seem. If anything, it's quite enjoyable to have a set group of friends that you can eat dinner with once a week at a previously set time. Becoming a brother in our fraternity is supposed to be complementary to your lifestyle - in fact, we encourage all our brothers and pledges to get involved in other campus organizations and broaden their college experience.
Q: I've heard many hazing stories associated with fraternities. Does your fraternity haze?
Absolutely not.
Q: Sure, that's what everyone says. But do you really not haze?
We are gentlemen and we do not haze. We are also very serious about our commitment to a strict "no hazing" policy. If at any point in time throughout either the recruitment process or the pledging process you believe that you are being hazed all you have to do is ask the brother to stop and he will desist IMMEDIATELY. Additionally, there is a toll-free number that you can always call to report any wrongdoings you witness or hear to the national office of Chi Psi fraternity.
To assuage your fears further, we should point out that never in the recent history of our fraternity at Duke have we ever had any incidents that a single pledge or rushee classified as hazing.
Q: What exactly is a "non-residential social group?"
This means that Chi Psi does not have a specified living space or a "section"
on Duke's campus. You will not see our Greek letters prominently displayed on
Main Quad.
Our brothers can either choose to live in blocks of as many as eight (as is
currently the case on the second floor of House EE) or with roommates of their
own choosing who are not Chi Psis. Some of our brothers are also joint members
of living groups on this campus such as Brownstone, Round Table and Mirecourt.
If you take a look at our list of brothers you will notice that some of us live
on Central Campus, East Campus, Edens… even Trent.
The bottom line is this: our bonds of brotherhood are not conditional on a common
living arrangement and we are very flexible when it comes to our brothers' choice
in housing. What matters to us is that you are a gentleman. Where you wish to
live is up to you.
Q: What is your definition of a gentlemanly behavior?
Individual definitions undoubtedly vary as this is a very broad question and there is hardly a definitive set of characteristics of a true gentleman. However, we sincerely believe that being a gentleman is a matter of much more than just holding doors for ladies; it is, among other things, a matter of having an attitude toward life that reflects an understanding and respect of the needs and opinions of others.
Q: What exactly do you guys do together?
Since we are primarily a social group, the majority of our activities are social in nature. Here is a list of some of the events and activities we routinely participate in each year:
Fall and spring semi-formals
Spring Formal
Monday Night Football / Poker night
IM sports - Flag Football, Soccer, Volleyball
Numerous theme and impromptu parties
Weekly lunches with our Faculty Advisor, Dr. Dale Randall
Paintball
BBQs on central
Traditional Wine and Cheese functions
Weekly dinners
Annual trip to Myrtle Beach after final exams
Ronald McDonald House, College Bound and Durham Habitat for Humanity
Mixers with sororities
Just plain hanging out…
Of course, this is only a partial list but we believe it captures the diversity of our group.
Q: So how diverse is Chi Psi?
We pride ourselves on our diversity in both backgrounds and interests. In addition to brothers from all corners of the US and the globe, our brothers are involved in the following campus organizations:
House and Quad Council
Duke Student Government
Campus Council
Black Student Alliance
Duke University Marching Band
The Pitchforks a-capella group
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Jazz Ensemble
Duke Wind Symphony
Varsity Swim Team
Duke Crew
Phi Beta Kappa
Project BUILD Crew Leaders
First-year Advisory Counselor
The Chronicle, Duke community's daily newspaper
Club sports like Tae-Kwan-Do, Ice Hockey and Soccer
Duke Shooting Club
Students With Access to Technology
In our opinion, this list emphasizes one of the great opportunities of Duke - becoming lifelong friends with individuals whose backgrounds and interests are vastly different from your own. We encourage you to take a close look at other campus fraternities and inquire about the breadth of their members' activities.
Q: I've heard many people say that their grades go down when they join a fraternity. Is that true with your fraternity?
No. It has been our experience that the two are not inversely related - if anything, it's quite the opposite. Many of our brothers' GPA actually rose after they joined our fraternity. The most likely reason is that even as pledges all Chi Psis receive valuable advice with course selection from older brothers as well as academic help from those of us who have advanced far in a particular major. And since our majors range from BME and Chemistry to Public Policy and Political Science, chances are quite good that at least one brother can help you with the subject in which you're experiencing trouble.
Additionally, our fraternity's mean GPA last year was a 3.44. This is several tenths of a point higher than the all-male University average that historically hovers between 3.0 and 3.1. We do not say this to brag - we simply believe that scholastic achievement is an important characteristic of being a gentleman.
Q: This all sounds good but I'm just not the fraternity type.
Neither are we. If there is one thing that holds true for most of us it is that when we first came to college, we never thought we'd be in a fraternity either. But we all overcame our fears and gave it a shot - we were pleasantly surprised to find that being in a fraternity like Chi Psi allowed us to forge friendships that will last us a lifetime.
Q: What are some tangible advantages of joining a national fraternity?
Too many to list here. But here are several:
- When the Men's Basketball Team won the 2001 championship in Minneapolis,
several of our brothers found lodging with fellow Chi Psis at the University
of Minnesota while they attended the Final Four.
- One of our brothers spent three months living with fellow Chi Psis at Georgia
Tech during his summer internship in Atlanta.
- Membership in a national fraternity as old as Chi Psi gives you access to
a database of over 20,000 alumni - searchable by geographic location and profession
- who can give you sound career advice and a chance to network.
Q: When is Recruitment?
Early in the fall and late in the winter. If you are interested in joining our group or just would like to know more about who we are contact either our Rush Chair, Matt Dolan, or our President, Nick Superina.
Q: Do I have to make it to all the Recruitment events?
No. Our Rush process is not a matter of having to put on your best face and be interesting, funny and creative so that we'll like you and ask you to join. On the contrary, we try to structure our recruitment so that it is an informal and low-pressure process where you simply to get to meet the brothers and decide whether you "click" with the group. Obviously, it is the case that the more events you attend the more opportunities you'll have to meet with the brothers - the more of them you can come to the better. But we are certainly understanding of the fact that people have tight schedules and can't make it to everything.
Q: I am not a freshman - can I still join?
Yes. For the past few years roughly 20% of our pledge classes were upperclassmen.
Q: I have other questions that you haven't answered here.
Send our President an email at njs5@duke.edu
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