KAPPA PSI
Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Inc
 

Karlo Sison

 

When I made the decision to pledge, what I wanted from Kappa Psi was to build lasting friendships with likeminded people in this new city thousands of miles away from home. Kappa Psi gave me that and more. Being a part of Kappa Psi and having numerous memories with my brothers were the best things to happen to me in pharmacy school. I want the future brothers of our Chi Chapter to be be able to say the same. I was given the opportunity as Pledge Dad to work closely with the future of our chapter, Sigma class, and (hopefully) helped fill their pledging experience with enjoyment and fulfillment. I want to continue doing the same for our entire chapter and focus on Kappa Psi’s future by serving as Regent. I believe that the officers are who set the tone for the chapter. An e-board team that is passionate, organized, and enthusiastic will make a positive impact on the overall morale of our chapter. As Regent, I know I will be in the position to work closely with all the e-board members and do my best to support them in various ways. I will be there to not just help them organize and plan events, but to also help bring positivity and new ideas. As officers of Kappa Psi, we are often so focused on tasks at hand and forget that we are volunteering our time to organize these events to serve others. When we are stressed out and frustrated about how things are going, this can affect the whole mood and take away from the fact that the purpose of these events are to serve, learn, and ultimately have fun. I know that as Regent I can help uplift the people I work with by continuing to do what I love to do most; make others laugh and enjoy themselves. I want to serve as regent so that Kappa Psi will be something we are all proud to be a part of, not just another organization that has events that we “have” to go to. This starts by focusing on our future and spreading positivity.

 

If elected Regent I would be a major representative for our fraternity and I believe that my experiences as Pledge Dad has helped me prepare for it. As pledge dad I knew that I would have a large influence on the pledge class and with that, I had to set positive example for our future brothers. My goal was to guide the pledges to become brothers that inspired to improve themselves by working together with their fellow pledge brothers, and be receptive to the valuable knowledge that upperclassman shared with them. While at the same time not losing focus on what else is important in their lives such as their relationships, health, hobbies, and other things that make them happy. I believe that keeping this balance between having fun, working hard, and making lasting relationships is what will bring you happiness and success. Now that the Sigmas have crossed I love seeing how much fun they have, how involved they are, and how close they are. I won’t take the credit for how amazing they turned out, but I believe that I made a positive impact on their pledging process. Though I have had many leadership positions in my life, I have not served in a position as daunting as Regent; but I am confident that my past experiences has given me the skills to make a positive impact on our Chapter. (I decided not to include my other past leadership experiences here to be more concise, but if you would like to know more; I will directly send you my previous Pledge Parent platform.)

 

If elected Regent, I want to do my best to improve our morale and make Kappa Psi something we are all proud to be a part of. I believe that in order to do so, we need to shift the culture within Kappa Psi. I don’t think that changes to events or adding incentives to things are the only paths to improvement. I believe that the attitude of our brothers is the most important thing that needs to be improved. Changing people’s attitudes is obviously very difficult, but I believe that by constantly spreading positivity and focusing on the future is a great start. During my pledging process, there was always constant comparisons to other pledge classes or other people. I thought that this caused a bit of regression and backwards thinking. With the changes with the curriculum and the pledging process, people would constantly talk about how things were so different from the past and set unreasonable comparisons to the current process. Instead of constantly making comparisons to what has happened to our chapter in the past, I want us to learn from our previous shortcomings and look to grow towards our future. We have to continue spreading enthusiasm with the future pledge classes and stop making comparisons to how things were done before. We shouldn’t ignore our future mistakes, but rather learn from them. I believe that we are trending in the right direction with Sigma Class, and we should continue to encourage them to grow as leaders. When the culture within Kappa Psi changes from always making comparisons and spreading disinterest, to thinking about the future and spreading positivity, I believe that the pride for Kappa Psi will grow.

 

Ravi Patel 

 

As someone who did not expect to join such a Brotherhood in pharmacy school, it is more than everything that I could have hoped for. From the rushing season to being initiated as a Brother, I have grown as a leader, both professionally and socially. Kappa Psi means a lot to me. My passion has been evident throughout my time as a Brother, but even more during the pledging process for the Sigma class. During this time, I spent an ample amount of time explaining the history and value of the Brotherhood, the same way it was passed down to me as a Brother of Kappa Psi. I was able to encourage pledges by explaining the underlying meaning of certain rush and pledge events and how it helped justify them as a true Brother of our fraternity. Although pledging may have seemed tedious, in hindsight it was an essential part of growth as a professional and becoming of value to this fraternity. This not only got the pledge class excited about becoming a Brother, but set an example as to what is expected as a Brother of Kappa Psi. As a result of my growth that I have received through Kappa Psi and its Brothers, I hope to continue to serve Chi Chapter in a way that will allow me to give back as much as possible. From all that I have learned about the fraternity, I hope to give back in a way that instills a sense of pride and Brotherhood in current Brothers and the future of our chapter. As Regent of Chi Chapter, I plan to serve this fraternity in a way that will allow the chapter to grow stronger through the changes that the new curriculum has set, along with recent changes to our order of business in terms of fines, involvement and Brotherhood.

 

As a neophyte merely 2 weeks after initiation, I was immediately drawn to all that Kappa Psi had to offer as I attended my first MAP assembly at Pi Chapter. During this assembly, I was exposed to the various functions outside of Chi chapter and the work that Mid-America Province did as a whole. As I continue to attend MAP assemblies, I realize its importance, especially for a chapter as large as ours. Assemblies allow us to stay informed with other chapters, build connections and make improvements that will help our chapter run efficiently. If given the privilege to serve as Regent for Chi chapter, I will not only attend as a liaison for the chapter at MAP and GCC, but also stand up as an exceptional representation of the Brothers we have at our chapter. I was able to serve as an officer this year and gained further insight on the overall operations of our fraternity, specifically our chapter. As an officer, I was present at the E-board meetings and was able to establish an understanding of where Brothers envisioned the future of our fraternity. As Alumni Chair for Chi chapter, I was able to communicate with alumni Brothers throughout the school year, as well as plan the Alumni Mixer for the Sigma pledge class. This event not only emphasized the importance of professionalism, but also allowed pledges to see the outreach of the ‘99 hands’ that make up Kappa Psi. Writing THE MASK articles was a meaningful experience as it helped us showcase Chi Chapter’s pride. It served as a platform for Brothers to share their personal and professional growth through philanthropic events and the pledging process. During my time as Alumni Chair, I was able to get involved in many committees that helped me engage with the fraternity on a more personal level. This allowed me to stay informed on the changes that were being made, as well as evaluate what worked for the fraternity and what needed improvement. Overall, these experiences have shaped me to be a potential candidate for Regent. The current executive board can agree that I have not only done an excellent job as an officer for my own position, but also took on responsibilities for other positions as I learned and grew with the executive committee.

 

Committees:

-Pledging Committee
-Rushing Committee
-Pledge Evaluation Committee
 

Other:
-Graduate Brother MAP Development Committee
-Greek Week Committee
-Ski Trip Committee

Provinces attended: Pi Chapter, Chi Chapter, and will be attending Gamma Theta next month
*Plan to attend GCC in July

 

With a chapter as large as ours, I wish to serve in a way that brings Brothers closer together, while strengthening cohesiveness and drive for the chapter. A lot of this begins with the rushing and pledging season. Although we have made great changes to our rushing and pledging process, I will continue to emphasize the importance of quality brothers, not sheer quantity. This cannot be done without the vision of the Vice Regent aligning with my own. We will work closely to boost the morale of the fraternity, while continuing to build up the chapter. As we reach a conclusion for fines, I will continue to work with the E-board and the GCDs to make changes as necessary. I will not only put an emphasis on fines, but also hold Brothers accountable for their participation. We are all busy people, however, we must all contribute in a way that is relatively fair. Furthermore, I wish to work with GCDs and E-board to prevent mishaps that have happened in previous years with our own fraternity and others. This is really important for us because of the core principles our fraternity prides itself in. Although we want to have fun, I hope to do so in a way that abides risk-management protocols and the rules set by our University. As we continue to work with the changes of the new curriculum, I will work with the new Executive-Board to continue to find a plan that will help EBMs, GBMs and FBMs run smoothly. This is a crucial step for growing the chapter because it holds the E-board accountable and informed about the necessary changes throughout the year. I will do this by efficiently delegating tasks amongst the executive board, Brothers of the chapter and by establishing an open line of communication, while making expectations clear. I will lead by example and show brothers that I am invested in the goals of the fraternity and the necessary changes that are to come. As a Brother of Kappa Psi, I continue to appreciate the privilege of being part of the Brotherhood, and the value of the fraternity’s history and rituals. If given the opportunity to serve as Regent, I will continue to build upon the solid foundation that Kappa Psi’s Chi chapter is built on.