If I may quote one of my favorite movies, Almost Famous…
“To begin with… everything!”
As the day draws near for the start of the 58th International Convention of the Delta Chi Fraternity, I started to think of all the reasons that I love attending. This convention will be my third convention of many to come and while it may not be the same type of town as my first two (Las Vegas and New Orleans), I know that it isn’t the location that makes it great, it is the experience itself.
I remember my first convention in Vegas. I learned so much about Delta Chi and how big it really is. Among the many experiences I had, I found myself at a roulette table filled with Delta Chi brothers from chapters all over the nation. I met them when I sat down at the table and we all bet together on every single round. It seemed like someone was keeping an eye on our table, watching us enjoy the experience, the brotherhood and the money we were raking in. I was an undergrad then and I don’t know if I was high on brotherhood or the oxygen they pumped into those casinos, but I was hooked.
The 57th convention in New Orleans would only make it that much more obvious that I don’t ever want to miss a Delta Chi convention. Flying up with some of my South Florida brothers, we had an infamous hand grenade on our arrival and made our way to meet new friends and brothers. This was my first one as an alumni and it made it all the better. The constraints of needing to take every bit of knowledge in to bring back to my chapter was lessened and I was able to take in the whole experience, while still learning a lot. It helped walking down Bourbon Street and into various “establishments” and finding a new brother and friend that I could enjoy the experiences with.
So, I am looking forward to heading up to Pittsburgh next week for the 58th convention and my third. I will be heading up early, one because my family is from there and two because I want to get in every new Delta Chi experience I can. One of those new experiences being my first as a presenter on Friday afternoon. If you are going to be an alumnus soon or are a young one, feel free to attend my session on “The Next Step: Transitioning from Undergraduate to Alumnus Status”.
The one thing I can say about a Delta Chi convention is that, no matter if you are an undergraduate or alumnus, you will definitely learn a lot. A lot of personal and professional skills that will help your chapter and yourself in life. A lot about Delta Chi and the true benefits it can hold. A lot about the brothers and friends you will make across the country. A lot about why you will never miss a Convention… ever.
So I urge those of you that are still undecided to make the trip up to Pittsburgh. To those of you that will be there, I hope to meet you in various sessions or events, or walking around Station Square and enjoying the Brotherhood of a Lifetime.
In the Bond,
Ben Dundas
South Florida ’09
Vice Regent, Region VIII
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