The Neighbor's Property

The celebration of this semester's end was like the other one's I have attended. We call it "Flask" at my chapter. Everyone gathered around in the chapter room to drink and to roast the graduating seniors. Except this time the graduating seniors found in necessary to bring all of the items that they have stolen from other fraternity houses and place them in the center of the floor. These were the battle scars for which they wanted to be remembered.

I think everyone in the room was shocked at the amount of materials they had managed to collect over the past four years. There were items ranging from plaques to flags to a Norman Shield. One thing was certain, no fraternity had been discriminated against. It was almost like we were having an IFC meeting in our chapter room floor. Well, not quite. We can never get all of the chapter's to attend an IFC meeting.

The younger guys in the chapter looked on with admiration. They were truly impressed with what their big brothers and mentors had accomplished. There was no doubt that their admiration was met with plans to one day go out on their own mission to try to do better than those before them.

Yep, it happens in most of our chapters across the country. In many it's even encouraged. I just have to question at what point we began to endorse stealing as being something that is acceptable. It's cliche to say it, "but it's all fun until someone gets caught."

I have chosen to erase that part of the night from my memory. I want to remember my big brother by all the help he has given me in college and for what a great friend he has been. The neighbors can have their property back.