It seems like just last week that Ben Robuck, a Lambda Chi Alpha chapter leader at Auburn, invited me to a weekend lunch. Naively assuming we were there to discuss life and our respective academic and physical states, I was surprised to hear my host had become a member of a national honor society, the Order of Omega.

This society had recently established a chapter at Auburn, and my friend had subsequently been elected president of the fledgling group. Still suspecting nothing, I congratulated him and his fellow inductees for their singular honor and opportunity.

As it turned out, our lunch would extended long past dessert. I soon learned he was not telling me about this newly formed Delta Kappa chapter of the Order of Omega for my idle information, but rather to get me involved with the group as their faculty advisor. He worked with great determination to get me to accept (and I had pretty much agreed by the end of my second cup of coffee).

How glad I am that I received this special opportunity those fifteen years ago! Advising a Greek leadership honor society has been a wonderful opportunity for me in a number of special ways.

First, as someone who teaches the history courses required of all students in a large state university, I have had the opportunity to interact academically with many students who have gone on to become Greek leaders.

I strongly felt that this organization would provide me with the opportunity to interact with many of these outstanding students in an inter-fraternal setting. As it has turned out, often my students in these lower level courses turned up two years later as inductees, obviously having realized the goals that they had set for themselves in their fraternities and sororities.

Second, as a fraternity adviser and who currently works with the Inter Fraternity Council judicial court, advising this group exposes me to many different Greek experiences and issues.

In 1984-1985, I advised the chapter leaders to make our meetings at least partially educational in nature. I have always found most attractive our group’s opportunities to discuss a variety of Greek-oriented issues, to hear speakers representing various Greek interests, and to meet and work with students in whom so much trust, honor, and responsibility have been placed.

With a general meeting of members every other week and a meeting attended by our officers and committee heads on alternate weeks, the organization has never proven a burden or caused me excessive work. Rather, it has always been a pleasure to meet with the officers who are often associated with PHC and IFC. This keeps our organization well connected to those two very important ones.

We annually hold a joint Scholarship Awards banquet with IFC and PHC during Greek Week and work on other activities that provide the positive Greek experience all of us associated with fraternities and sororities.

Being an advisor of a chapter for some 15 years has proven to be a wonderfully enriching experience, and I recommend it enthusiastically to anyone who wants to work with student leaders of the highest caliber.