Resources
Written By: The Emerald 
This story was printed in the Fall 2016 issue of The Emerald magazine. If you do not receive printed issues of the magazine, but would like to, then please opt-in at sigmapi.org/updateinfo.
by Nick Moquete (Seton Hall ’17)
As an undergraduate, I consider myself to be “broke.”
I don’t work while taking classes and I go through my semester with the savings I’ve collected from working during the summer. I’m incredibly thankful that my parents help me with groceries and living space so I can have the luxury of not worrying about basic necessities. I overspend my weekly budget if I want to have fun regularly, but it’s worth it in every benefit of recharging myself.
Other than that, I am “broke.”
I find that my fraternity is a big source of purpose and energy for my college career as it’s opened every door of opportunity I’ve walked through the past 3 years. The idea of acting “for the greater good” and selfless gestures give me my own satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. I know my brothers share that with me. My fraternity gave me the stepping stones that lead to self-discovery and sense of belonging and the level of respect I have for the idea of Sigma Pi drives me to put it before myself sometimes. I’ll travel for my chapter and take up a project that might take some time and resources.
But while I do that, I am still “broke.”
Our fraternity recognizes these problems and values among the lives of undergraduate members. To provide an opportunity to make our college career easier and life less negative, the Delta Society offers undergrads several scholarships to cover their
academic expenses.
Given that members can only become a part of the Delta Society exclusively as an undergraduate, it is meant to be an opportunity for undergrads to make a small, one-time contribution of $20 in exchange for lifetime recognition.
But… we are “broke”… Right?
We can be broke if we believe so. We look at the benefits of social opportunities as an escape from the half-real world that is undergrad life. We struggle from time to time seeing the end of our college career and what it will hold for us. All the while, we get caught up in the amount of effort we’re putting in now while unsure what exactly the payout will be. Escaping from that mindset may become more valuable to you than the little things you personally believe. Maybe “the greater good” used to come first in your decision making thoughts, but life got in the way and pushed it down the list.
I challenge every undergraduate that relates to look at this from a different perspective. $20 will get you a few beers and an appetizer at happy hour, but that same $20 could be used to lift that same sense of weight on life mentioned before from the shoulders of one of your brothers (and who knows, it could even be you).
Donating to the Delta Society as an undergraduate is an incredibly selfless act in itself given what a $20 bill can do to help a college student. Undergraduates are recognized for it. All contributors will be inducted into the society for life. You will have contributed towards the ultimate success of one of your brothers.
Of course, it doesn’t seem like a lot. With an active undergrad membership of over 5,000 guys, I wonder how it is easy to think “someone else will do it” or “I’m not even making a difference.” Well, I bet if you called up the next winner of a scholarship, they’d have you on the phone for a while showing
their appreciation.
So yes, we are broke. $20 is really easy to look at as a band-aid for your daily problems. However, maybe your contribution will remind you about how you felt giving towards “the greater good.” I have a feeling if you focused on that, that $20 would provide an exponential amount of long-lasting self satisfaction knowing that you helped your brothers reach their full potential.
If you are an undergraduate and would like to contribute to the Delta Society, visit sigmapi.org/donate and select “Undergraduate Delta Society” from the Campaign dropdown.
Have a story you want to share? Submit it to us at theemerald.org/submit. It may be featured here on The Emerald Online, or in one of our printed issues of The Emerald magazine. If you do not receive the printed issues, please opt-in at sigmapi.org/updateinfo.