Have you noticed finely dressed handsome men holding the door for you at the Commons? Those are the men of Pi Lambda Phi! President, Daniel Degallier, was kind enough to answer some questions about these considerate men.
HC: Where do you hold the doors?
Daniel: We’ve been known to hold doors outside Merle Price Commons on Mondays and Fridays, but once in awhile we enjoy switching it up.
HC: Why?
Daniel: We hold doors for a few reasons. One, who doesn’t want to dress to the nines and do something nice? And who doesn’t want a door held for them once in awhile? Chivalry isn’t dead, by the way. Two,, we love giving back to Stout and the community, and this is a fun and small way to do that. Third, we are taking a swing at the stereotypes of Fraternities and Greek Life at Stout, and trying to model what most of us do in our daily lives anyway. Greeks need to be seen doing things likes this, to help combat the negative stereotypes.
HC: How did you come up with idea of holding doors?
Daniel: The idea came from a few of our brothers, as well as we’ve seen other Pilam chapters model this in the past. We decided to take it to the next step and make it a regular thing for us.
HC: What was the best experience you’ve encountered on campus while holding doors?
Daniel: One of the best days for me was one of the first days we started holding doors. There were so many of us that showed up, that every entrance to the building was covered and for a whole hour, not one person had to open a door to go inside. Seeing people’s smiles, especially on a Monday morning, really is the best experience every time. I also had a new member of ours this semester walk up to me early on to being recruited, and asked me, “When do I GET to do this?” I said right now! Ten minutes later he showed up in a shirt and tie ready to help out.
So next time you see one of these men holding a door open for you, don’t forget to smile and thank them! Daniel would also like you to know, if anyone else wants to make people smile and make their day, feel free to join them, no matter who you are or what org you are in!