Creighton, which is based on Jesuit values and the such, places a big emphasis on giving back to the community.
Despite these high precedents and expectations, sometimes a group goes above and beyond and truly become men and women for and with others.
The men of the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi performed an incredible feat of giving this semester. Their members performed a combined 500 hours of community service at various sites around the Omaha area.
This year’s Phi Psi 500 event was headed by Arts & Sciences sophomore Dominick Utrie and junior Jared Stasi.
Stasi spoke of the complete cooperation from the chapter in a large event such as this.
“We had our entire chapter participate, which is 96 members,” Stasi said. “(Every member volunteered) five hours, but some contributed over ten hours.”
The program runs annually with service sites ranging from food banks to the Council Bluffs chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Business sophomore Chris Banville, the current Public Relations Chair, believes that this project transcends his fraternity and makes a statement about the entire greek community.
“It’s important for Greek organizations to give back in an effort to show the most realistic picture of Greek life, as opposed to stereotypes,” Banville said. “Philanthropy and service are big parts of fraternities and sororities on campus. It puts the organizations in a positive light and helps give back to the community.”
Despite the hours put towards doing things like tearing down fences, Banville said the volunteering didn’t feel like work.
“Once (my brothers and I) started working together it became a fun project that we bonded over,” Banville said.
Business sophomore Sean Gill is the current president of Phi Kappa Psi. He believes that events such as this really speak to his fraternity’s mission and values.
“Phi Kappa Psi was founded on the maxim of ‘The Great Joy of Serving Others,’” Gill said. “We try to live out this maxim in our everyday lives … or through service on a larger scale as evidenced in the Phi Psi 500. The 500 was another opportunity for our members to show that serving others really is a top priority of ours.”
Gill also believes that this year’s event was a great success.
“It was a great opportunity for the brothers to spend quality time with each other and bond over a common interest,” Gill said. “All of our members put their time and their hearts into their service hours and I couldn’t be more proud of my brothers.”